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all 

VOLUNTEER 

The  Army’s  recruiting  and  retention  professional  magazine  sine  1919 

MARCH,  1982 


tlDhe  tiesJt  of  81 


Mid 


SSG  Franco  L.  Lopez 
USAREC  Recruiter  of  the  year 


Ronald  D.  Menz 

USAREC  Reserve  Recruiter  of  the  year 


Commander’s  Notes 


One  of  the  more  important  functions  of  leadership  is  to  recognize 
those  who  have  excelled  — who  meet  and  set  the  standards  by 
which  others  may  measure  themselves.  I am  delighted  to  be  able 
to  do  that  in  this  issue  of  the  all  VOLUNTEER.  This  issue  recognizes 
those  among  you  who  have  set  standards  of  excellence,  the  top 
recruiters  and  soldiers  in  USAREC. 

In  the  articles  discussing  their  success,  notice  how  each  re- 
cruiter uses  all  available  resources.  A part  of  these  resources 
come  from  the  Army’s  dedication  to  USAREC  through  TAIR.  Note 
howthe  Cincinnati  DRC  coupled  imagination  and  TAIR  to  present 
the  Army  storyduring  the  Daviscuptournament(page29).  Another 
part  of  these  resources  isthe  Recruiting  Support  Center.  Pages  34 
and  35  can  help  you  use  this  resource  in  your  recruiting. 

In  this  issue  of  the  all  VOLUNTEER  you  will  have  a chance  to 
meet  these  top  recruiters  and  share  their  experiences  and  tech- 
niques. They  have  things  to  say  to  all  of  us.  I encourage  you  to  learn 
from  them  and  apply  what  you  learn  in  your  recruiting.  Their 
experiences  can  help  us  be  better  recruiters  and  recruiting  leaders. 
I salute  these  fine  soldiers  for  their  excellence.  The  net  result  of 
their  efforts  will  be  better  and  more  consistent  recruiting  in  the 
quality  market. 

THE  ARMY  STARTS  WITH  YOU! 


HOWARD  G.  CROWELL,  JR. 
Major  General,  USA 
Commanding 


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all  VOLUNTEER 


f 

MG  Howard  G.  Crowell 

CG,  US  Army  Recruiting  Command 

LTC  William  A.  Knapp 
Chief,  Pubiic  Affairs,  USAREC 


Wm.  H.  Finnegan 
Editor 

Ken  Holder 
Associate  Editor 

SSG  Gordon  Marihugh 
Features  Editor 


VOLUNTEER 


The  Army's  recruiting  and  retention  protessional  magazine  since  1919 


March  1982 


SP4  Bill  Davenport 
Departments  Editor 


CORRESPONDENTS 


Virginia  Stephanakis 
SP5  Karen  Murdock 
OPT  Ronald  L.  Scott 
MSG  Pat  Currans 
CPT  Jerry  Harke 


Northeast  RRC 
Southeast  RRC 
Southwest  RRC 
Midwest  RRC 
Western  RRC 


FEATURES 


4 

6 

9 

13 

14 

15 
20 
21 
24 

29 

30 
32 
34 


Recruiter  of  the  Year 

Reserve  Recruiter  of  the  Year 

Region  Recruiters  of  the  Year 

New  Recruiter  of  the  Year 

Nurse  Recruiter  of  the  Year 

SWRRC  Nurse  Recruiter  of  the  Year 

Soidier  of  the  Year 

SWRRC  USAR  Recruiter  of  the  Year 

SERRC  & WRRC  New  Recruiters  of  the  Year 

Davis  Cup  Tournament 

Pied  Piper 

The  Border 

Support  Center  Aid 


Permission  is  granted  to  reproduce  any  ma- 
terial appearing  in  the  all  VOLUNTEER,  except 
that  which  is  marked  copyrighted.  Credit  is  re- 
quested on  reprinted  articles. 

DEADLINE  — Photos  and  articles  due  first 
each  month  two  months  prior  to  publication. 

Phone: 

C:  312-926-3918 
A:  459-3918 

Published  monthly  by  the  Office,  Chief,  Public 
Affairs,  U.S.  Army  Recruiting  Command  as  a 
medium  for  the  active  exchange  of  ideas  be- 
tween persons  involved  in  recruitment  and  re- 
tention for  the  United  States  Army.  Use  of  funds 
for  printing  this  authorized  unofficial  publication 
has  been  approved  by  Headquarters,  Depart- 
ment of  the  Army,  22  July  1981.  Second  class 
postage  paid  at  Milwaukee,  Wl.  Views  and  opin- 
ions are  not  necessarily  those  of  the  Department 
of  the  Army.  Items  of  interest  should  be  mailed  to: 

Commander 

U.S.  Army  Recruiting  Command 
ATTN;  USARCCS-PA  (VOLUNTEER) 

Ft.  Sheridan,  IL  60037 

all  VOLUNTEER  (USPS  305-870) 
*Postmaster  send  address  changes 
to  address  above. 

V J 


DEPARTMENTS 


2 

16 

22 

26 

27 

28 


Commander’s  Notes 
Field  File 
Update 

Diagnostic  Test 
Recruiter  Aid 
Rings  and  Things 


Annual  winners  of  USAREC’s  top 
awards  grace  this  month’s  covers. 
Photos  were  provided  by  submitting 
DRCs  and  Region  Recruiting  Com- 
mands. 


VOLUNTEER 


®{)ct)est  of  81 


MARCH  1982 


3 


SFC  Franco  Lopez 

us  Army’s  Recruiter  of  the 


by  Nick  Hubbell 
Newburgh  DRC 

“Not  taking  no  for  an  answer  helped 
me,”  SSG  Franco  Lopez  said.  Lopez, 
USAREC’s  Recruiter  of  the  Year  for 


FY  81,  attributed  his  success  to  not 
taking  no  for  an  answer.  His  persist- 
ent determination  helped  him  open 
doors  that  were  closed  to  him. 

“If  I found  a school  whose  doors 


were  closed  to  me.  I’d  charge  right  in 
there  and  talk  to  anybody  to  tell  them 
about  the  Army,”  Lopez  said,  adding, 
“I’d  let  them  know  that  it  is  a new 
technically  oriented  Army. 

“I’d  talk  about  the  options  and  edu- 
cation programs  available,”  he  con- 
tinued, noting,”  I was  really  surprised 
to  find  out  how  many  people  still 
thought  of  us  as  a Vietnam-era  Army.” 


“The  spouse  plays 
a tremendous  part 
in  a recruiter's  atti- 
tude and  ability  to 
succeed.” 


i < ed  to  know  you  care, 
> i re  dealing  with  their 
dun/  know  it.” 


Lopez’s  attitude  of  not  taking  no  for 
an  answer  has  paid  off  handsomely 
for  the  former  airborne  infantryman. 
In  1980,  he  was  selected  as  the 
USAREC  Rookie  Recruiter  of  the 
Year. 

“That  was  a real  incentive  for  me  to 
keep  trying,”  he  said,  adding,  “I’ve 
always  treated  each  assignment  as  a 
challenge,  so  I decided  I would  try  to 
do  even  better  in  1981.” 

Lopez  credits  his  DEPs  with  help- 
ing him  ‘sell  the  Army.’ 

“I  developed  the  DEPs  into  lead 
generators,”  Lopez  said,  adding, 
“These  guys  and  gals  helped  to  intro- 
duce me  to  new  prospects  and,  more 
importantly,  to  centers  of  influence. 
These  COIs  assisted  in  opening  more 
doors  to  me.” 

Another  person  who  Lopez  attrib- 
utes his  success  to  is  his  wife. 

“Perhaps  my  most  important  asset 
was  and  is  my  wife,  Annette,”  he  said. 


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Year 


“The  spouse  plays  a tremendous  part 
in  a recruiter’s  attitude  and  ability  to 
succeed. 

“When  I began  to  get  discouraged, 
Annette  would  be  there  to  help  bolster 
my  spirits.  She  was  always  there  to 
help  me  over  the  rough  spots,”  he 
said,  adding,  “I  know  for  a fact  that  I 
could  not  have  made  it  without  her.” 

Lopez  has  been  in  recruiting  for  25 
months.  He  spent  much  of  that  time  in 
New  York,  where  he  developed  listen- 
ing skills. 

“For  most  of  that  25  months,  I was 
located  at  the  Fordham  Road  Recruit- 
ing Station  in  the  Bronx,  NY,”  he  said, 
adding,  “I  learned  to  listen  to  people. 
It’s  important  to  do  that  in  order  to 
learn  their  needs  and  help  them  de- 
velop themselves  to  meet  their  needs. 

“Applicants  need  to  know  you 
care,”  he  said,  noting,  “After  all,  you’re 
dealing  with  their  futures  and  they 
know  it.” 


‘Td  talk  about  the 
education  programs 
available.  I was 
really  surprised  to 
find  out  how  many 
people  still  thought 
of  us  as  a Vietnam* 
era  Army.” 


His  recruiting  philosophy  is  simple 
and  it  begins  by  building  the  pros- 
pect’s trust. 

“Once  you  have  their  trust,  the  rest 


is  easy,”  he  said,  “I  try  to  sell  the  Army 
in  general  and  let  the  guidance  coun- 
selor sell  a particular  job  skill.” 


share  with  fellow  recruiters,  Lopez 
said:  “Start  with  the  basics,  develop 
your  DEPs  into  a source  of  leads  and 


“Get  into  the  local  community  and 
wear  the  uniform  correct!''  whenever 
you  go.” 


Lopez  is  presently  attending  the 
Guidance  Counselors’  Course  and  is 
scheduled  to  be  assigned  to  the  New 
York  MEPS  at  Ft.  Hamilton.  He  is 
looking  forward  to  his  assignment  as  a 
guidance  counselor  in  the  MEPS  so  he 
can  see  recruiting  from  the  enlistment 
processing  side. 

When  asked  what  advice  he  would 


COI  generators. 

“Get  into  the  local  community,”  he 
advised,  “and  wear  the  uniform  coi> 
rectly  whenever  you  go.” 

He  also  advised  other  recruiters  to 
follow  the  same  advice  which  helped 
him  become  the  FY  81  USAREC  Re- 
cruiter of  the  Year:  “Don’t  take  no  for 
an  answer.” 


Standing  outside  of  the  Fordham  Road  RS  in  Bronx  NY  recruiter  of  the  year  SSG 
Franco  Lopez  prepares  for  his  next  prospect 


MARCH  1982 


5 


US  Army^  s Reserve 


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all  VOLUNTEER 


Recruiter  of  the  Year 


by  Mary  Auer 
Cincinnati  DRC 

The  blue-jean  clad  young  woman 
sitting  beside  Recruiting  Specialist 
Ron  Menz’  desk  in  the  Florence,  KY 
station  isn’t  a prospect.  She’s  spend- 
ing part  of  her  time  on  a deferred  en- 
listment helping  Menz  refine  lists 
from  her  high  school. 

“Working  smarter  instead  of  hardei^’ 
is  more  than  a catch-phrase  with  Menz, 
a Cincinnati  native  recently  chosen  as 
USAREC  Reserve  Recruiter  of  the 
Year  for  FY  81. 

His  selection  for  this  national  honor 
marks  a new  pinnacle  in  his  three- 
decade  career  with  the  Army.  During 
the  26  years  he  spent  on  active  duty, 
he  served  with  some  of  the  Army’s 
most  prestigious  units,  including  the 
famed  “Old  Guard,”  and  garnered  an 
impressive  collection  of  awards  and 
decorations. 

Part  of  his  active  duty  years  involved 
duty  with  the  Cincinnati  DRC  as  a 
field  recruiter  and  station  commander 
during  the  early  1970s.  His  accom- 
plishments in  recruiting  have  netted 
him  not  only  the  gold  badge  and  three 
sapphire  stars,  but  also  the  coveted 
gold  recruiting  ring. 

Talk  to  him  about  recruiting,  which 
he  admits  is  one  of  his  favorite  sub- 
jects, and  it  becomes  easy  to  see  why 
he  has  been  so  successful.  “Working 
smarter  instead  of  harder”  doesn’t 


mean  his  job  is  easy.  It  means  he 
believes  in  using  all  available  re- 
sources in  his  recruiting  efforts,  and 


‘‘You've  got  to  be- 
lieve in  your  product 
If  you' re  not  enthusi- 
astic about  your 
product,  people  will 
pick  it  up  quickly." 


among  the  most  important  of  these 
resources  are  people. 

He  cites  young  men  and  women  in 
the  DEP  or  those  on  deferred  enlist- 
ments as  essential  links  to  other  quali- 
fied individuals  in  the  community. 

“These  people  reside  in  the  com- 
munity; they  know  the  community, 
and  the  other  residents  know  them,” 
he  explained.  “Those  individuals  also 
know  the  qualifications  to  get  into  the 
Army.  When  you  give  them  the  DEP 
form  or  your  card,  you  emphasize  to 
them:  ‘You  know  the  qualifications.  If 
your  friends  meet  these  qualifications 
and  are  interested  in  the  service — any 
branch — tell  them  to  come  through 


us.  We’ll  help  you  get  promoted  if 
they  join  the  Army,  National  Guard, 
or  the  Army  Reserve.’  ” 

He  notes  the  snowballing  effect  of 
the  referral  process,  using  an  example 
from  one  of  his  own  schools. 

“Lloyd  High  School  had  one  foot- 
ball player  from  the  varsity  team  join. 
Through  him,  we  picked  up  four  more 
enlistments,  two  of  whom  were  also 
on  the  varsity  team.  He  was  promoted 
to  E-2,  and  since  then,  each  one  of 
these  four  has  brought  people  in  to 
us.” 

He  estimates  that  90  percent  of  his 
enlistments  in  FY  81  were  referrals. 

Menz  says  the  USAR  Split  Training 
Option  is  particularly  valuable  for 
obtaining  referrals.  The  students  re- 
turning from  a summer  at  basic  training 
are  “the  Army  going  back  into  that 
school.” 

If  another  student  has  questions 
about  basic  training  or  the  Army,  he 
or  she  can  talk  to  classmates  in  the 
split  training  program.  Students  may 
perceive  information  coming  from  a 
recruiter  as  biased,  he  explained,  but 
“that  young  man  or  woman  who’s  just 
been  through  basic  is  going  to  ‘tell  it 
like  it  is.’  ” 

Because  the  young  people  a re- 
cruiter has  contact  with  are  such  a 
valuable  source  of  leads,  the  concept 
of  ownership  has  become  even  more 
important,  he  believes. 


MARCH  1982 


7 


US  Army’s  Reserve  Recruiter  of  the  Year 


“The  idea  of  ownership  has  always 
been  around.  We  used  to  call  it  ‘follow- 
up’ before.  But  I think  Army  recruiters 
today  — and  especially  Reserve  re- 
cruiters — take  more  interest  in  their 
applicants  than  they  did  when  I first 
came  on  recruiting  duty  back  in  the 
early  70’s,  due  to  the  fact  that  we  now 
see  them  all  the  time,”  he  observes. 

“If  one  bad  thing  happens  to  an 
applicant  because  of  you,  it’s  going  to 
hurt  you  in  the  community.  If  you 
make  a mistake  with  an  applicant,  you 
have  to  make  sure  he  understands  you 
made  a mistake  and  you’re  sorry  for 
it  — AND  THAT  YOU’LL  RECTIFY 
IT. 

“You’ve  got  to  believe  in  your  pro- 
duct,” Menz  continued  “if  you’re  not 
enthusiastic  about  your  product,  peo- 
ple will  pick  it  up  quickly.  They  can 
feel  it.  If  you  drop  an  applicant  once 
he  enlists,  he’ll  know  all  the  interest 
you  showed  in  him  was  phony;  you 
were  just  looking  for  a number  on  the 
wall.” 

He  says  he  maintains  contact  with 
his  enlistees  throughout  their  junior 
and  senior  years  in  high  school,  while 
they  are  on  active  duty  for  training, 
and  when  they  return  home  to  their 
local  Reserve  units.  Before  new  re- 
cruits leave  for  basic  training,  he  pro- 
vides them  with  detailed  information 
on  the  commissary  system,  where  to 


obtain  ID  cards,  how  to  use  CHAMP- 
US,  etc.  He  says  his  objective  is  to 
answer  as  many  of  the  questions  they 
may  have  before  they  leave. 

'‘You  can't  make  it 
by  yourself.  There's 
just  no  way  you  can 
come  out  here  and 
say,  'I'm  going  to  be 
the  number  one 
recruiter  all  by 
myself." 

“There’s  actually  more  work  in- 
volved after  someone  enlists  than  there 
is  in  getting  him  to  enlist,”  he  notes. 
When  they  return  from  training,  he 
tries  to  be  at  the  airport  waiting  to 
drive  them  home.  Answering  new 
enlistees’  questions  about  military  life 
enables  Menz  to  draw  on  the  expertise 
of  another  “resource”  person— his  wife 
of  25  years,  Marian. 

When  an  applicant  is  married,  and 
particularly  if  he  has  small  children, 
Menz  will  encourage  his  spouse  to 
contact  Mrs.  Menz.  A native  of  Great 


Britain,  she  was  raised  in  a family 
with  strong  military  traditions.  Be- 
cause of  her  background  and  her  ex- 
periences as  the  wife  of  a service 
member,  she  is  well  aware  of  how  the 
demands  of  a military  career  will  af- 
fect family  life. 

While  sharing  her  experiences  with 
the  recruits’  wives,  she  also  acquaints 
them  with  the  intricacies  of  the 
CHAMPUS  system  and  other  services 
that  will  be  available  to  them  on  post. 
She  has  even  driven  the  wives  up  to 
the  commissary  at  Wright- Patterson 
AFB  in  Dayton  to  give  them  a personal 
orientation  to  the  facility. 

In  appreciation  for  her  assistance, 
Menz  says  he  wanted  the  gold  recrui- 
ting ring  to  be  presented  to  her  be- 
cause he  felt  she  deserved  it.  Unfortu- 
nately, regulations  do  not  permit  such 
a presentation. 

Though  he  has  devoted  much  hard 
work  and  many  long  hours  to  his  job, 
he  refuses  to  take  all  the  credit  for  his 
accomplishments. 

“You  can’t  make  it  by  yourself,”  he 
says.  “There’s  just  no  way  you  can 
come  out  here  (to  the  recruiting  sta- 
tion) and  say,  ‘I’m  going  to  be  the 
number  one  recruiter,  all  by  myself:  I 
don’t  need  any  help.’  There’s  no  one 
out  here  on  recruiting  duty  who  can 
take  credit  for  everything  himself.  It’s 
a team  effort.”  S' 


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all  VOLUNTEER 


MWRRC 
Recruiter  of 
the  Year 


SSG 

Burchell 

Napier 


by  Dorothy  Summers 
Indianapolis  DRC 

The  coal  mines  of  Harlan,  KY  pro- 
vide a livelihood  for  many  men.  The 
work  is  hard  and  the  hours  are  some- 
times long.  Generations  of  coal  mining 
families  can  be  found  in  Harlan,  but 
one  man,  SSG  Burchell  Napier,  de- 
cided early  in  life  that  the  Army  was 
the  career  he  wanted  to  pursue,  not 
the  coal  mines. 

“The  people  in  Harlan  are  quiet, 
almost  shy,”  said  Napier. 

“A  nod  can  be  as  good  as  a dozen 
words.” 

Enlisting  in  the  Army  proved  to  be 
no  problem,  but  when  Napier  decided 
to  become  a recruiter,  his  dilemma 
began.  “You’re  too  introverted.  You’ve 
just  made  the  biggest  mistake  of  your 
life.  How  can  you  give  speech  pre- 
sentations to  people?  You  can’t  look  a 
person  in  the  eye.  You’ll  fail.” 

Those  comments,  stated  by  family, 
friends  and  fellow  co-workers,  still 
echo  in  the  brain  of  Napier,  Midwest 
Region’s  1981  Recruiter  of  the  Year. 
“They  were  right  at  the  time,”  com- 
mented Napier.  “If  I wanted  a pack  of 
cigarettes,  I would  send  someone  else 
into  the  store  to  buy  them  for  me.” 
Today,  Napier  is  a different  person, 
inspired  by  ambition  and  driven  by 
self-motivation. 


SSG  Burchell  Napier 


“I’ve  never  bombed  out  with  a pros- 
pective enlistee.  I see  myself  as  a 
winner,  not  a loser.  “When  I was  on 
production  as  a recruiter,  I tried  every 
day  to  interview  two  or  three  prospec- 
tive candidates  and  at  least  60  percent 
of  my  interviews  were  after  5 p.m.” 
Self-motivation  drives  Napier,  now  a 
station  commander  in  Lebanon,  IN. 

Sometimes  he  hears  recruiters  say, 
“I  work  20  hours  a day.”  “I  don’t  deny 
the  recruiter  may  be  in  the  office  20 
hours  a day,  but  I question  whether  or 


not  that  recruiter  is  really  working 
smart,”  commented  Napier.  “In  real- 
ity, that  recruiter  may  only  be  working 
three  hours  a day. 

Those  are  bad  elements  of  the  job 
that  I try  not  to  let  influence  me,”  he 
said,  adding  that  he  has  been  along  the 
path  they  are  trodding.  “You  can’t  just 
be  in  the  office  and  expect  candidates 
for  the  Army  to  come  to  you.  You  have 
to  go  to  them. 

As  a recruiter  on  production,  I spent 
long  hours  at  places  teenagers  could 


MARCH  1982 


9 


be  found.  They  love  video  games  so 
part  of  my  time  -was  spent  at  video 
shops  or  arcades.  Other  segments  of 
my  time  -were  expended  at  gyms,  parks 
and  high  schools.  Where  teenagers 
congregate,  a possible  enlistee  for  the 
Army  can  be  found,”  said  Napier. 

People  no  longer  say  Napier  will 
fail.  Now  when  he  walks  into  a gym 
filled  with  teenagers,  eye  contact  is 
immediate,  followed  by  a strong  hand- 
shake. When  lie  walks,  he  walks  with 
pride  which  comes  from  being  in  the 
Army,  from  being  a member  of  the 
team,  from  being  self  confident,  and 
from  selling  an  excellent  product:  the 
Army. 

“If  you  have  pride  in  self  and  you’re 
proud  of  the  organization  you  repre- 
sent, it  will  be  conveyed  to  others,” 
said  Napier.  “In  fact,  90  percent  of  the 
prospects  will  take  time  to  talk  to  you, 
if  the  right  image  is  projected.” 

Napier  is  projecting  a positive  image. 
In  his  2 1/2  years  of  recruiting  ex- 
perience, he  has  never  missed  his 
monthly  production.  In  fact,  he  has 
been  a consistant  ovei> achiever.  In 
the  first  quarter  of  1981,  Napier  was 
200  percent  over  his  production.  In 
the  second  quarter  of  1981,  he  achieved 
171.4  percent  over  mission  and  in 
addition  he  received  three  sapphires 
to  the  gold  badge.  Those  sapphires 


were  awarded  to  him  for  achieving 
both  quality  and  quantity  recruits. 


''90  percent  of  the 
prospects  will 
take  the  time  to 
talk  to  you,  if  the 
right  image  is 
projected.  ” 


Napier  also  received  the  Sergeant 
Majors  Standard  of  Excellence  Award 
for  outstanding  recruiting,  quality 
work  and  maintaining  superior  mili- 
tary appearance  and  performance. 

That  award  helped  to  catapult  Nap- 
ier to  his  present  success.  However, 
success  is  never  attained  without  help. 
Napier  knows  that  and  credits  former 
assistant  area  commander  Samuel 
Gabbard,  SEC  Byron  Close  and  SEC 
Roy  Martin  as  men  who  inspired  him 
to  his  present  status.  Gabbard  helped 
me  when  I left  recruiting  school,  Nap- 
ier said. 

“He  told  me,  ‘Never  be  a loser  and 
never  take  no  for  an  answer.’  ” 


If  I told  Gabbard  ‘no’  to  a question 
and  he  didn’t  like  the  answer,  he  asked 
the  same  question  until  the  answer 
was  ‘yes’.  “Close,  was  a different  per- 
son,” Napier  said,  “There  were  no 
personality  conflicts  with  him  and  he 
helped  me  set  attainable  goals.  If  I 
told  him  I wanted  four  enlistees  for 
the  month,  he  tried  to  guide  me  until  I 
reached  my  goal.  “With  Martin,  there 
is  open  competition,”  Napier  contin- 
ued. “I  met  him  when  I came  to  the 
Indianapolis  DRC  for  a conference. 
He  received  approximately  10  awards 
that  day.” 

At  that  time,  Napier  decided,  “I 
would  surpass  his  achievements.  You 
might  say  it’s  a game  of  king  of  the 
hill.  I see  Martin  often.  We  shake 
hands  and  talk,  but  when  I look  into 
his  eyes  I see  him  saying  to  me,  ‘Beat 
me  if  you  can,  knock  me  off  the  hill.’  ” 
Napier  is  trying  to  do  just  that  and  as 
station  commander,  he  plans  to  help 
make  the  Lebanon  recruiting  station 
the  best. 

If  Napier  begins  production  again, 
he  plans  to  pick  up  the  prestigious 
recruiter  ring  and  become  a command 
sergeant  major  before  his  planned  20- 
year  career  in  the  Army  ends.  Napier 
isn’t  sure  his  career  will  end  then, 
however.  He  might  become  a 30-year 
man.  “To  be  honest,”  Napier  says, 
“I’ve  probably  already  closed  the  sale.”?? 


SERRC  Recruiter  of 


the  year  SFC 

Sergeant  First  Class  Herman  Dean, 
SERRC  Recruiter  of  the  Year,  is  an 
example  of  a hometown  boy  who  has 
made  good.  Dean,  originally  from 
Columbus  recruiting  station,  will 
soon  take  over  as  station  commander 
of  the  three-man  office. 

Dean  has  been  in  the  service  for  13 
years  and  a recruiter  for  the  last  two. 
“I  enjoy  being  a recruiter.  The  people  I 
work  with  are  outstanding,  which 
helps  make  a tough  job  a lot  easier,” 
he  said. 

“I’ve  been  at  the  Columbus  station 
the  entire  time  I’ve  been  on-produc- 
tion. Being  in  an  area  that  I’m  familiar 
with  and  where  I’m  known  is  an  ad- 
vantage.” 


Herman  Dean 

This  combination  seems  to  be  work- 
ing for  Dean  since  he’s  received  every 
award  that  a recruiter  can  get  “except 
for  the  recruiter  ring  and  I’m  working 
on  that.” 

Dean  is  also  very  active  in  his  com- 
munity and  his  church.  “I  feel  like  the 
more  ‘people’  contact  I have,  the  bet- 
ter recruiter  I’ll  become.” 

“My  future  goal  is  to  become  Sei^ 
geant  major  of  the  Army,”  Dean  said. 
“That  goal  goes  along  with  the  best 
advice  a recruiter  or  anyone  else  can 
remember — it’s  a hard  climb  to  the 
top,  but  with  the  right  drive  and  am- 
bition you  can  make  it.”  !f 


10 


all  VOLUNTEER 


SWRRC 
Recruiter 
of  the 
Year 


SFC  Raymond  Bonner 


by  Denise  Rains 
Okiahoma  City  DRC 

“If  I keep  on  going  like  I am  now  I 
hope  to  have  my  gold  ring  by  July  or 
August,”  predicts  SFC  Raymond  S. 
Bonner,  Southwest  Region  Recruiter 
of  the  Year.  “That  is  my  major  goal.  It 
would  be  the  highlight  of  my  recruit- 
ing career.” 

Bonner  has  proven  that  he  obtains 
his  goals. 

A member  of  the  Oklahoma  City 
DRC,  Bonner  works  at  the  Lawton, 
OK  recruiting  station.  At  the  end  of 
FY81,  Bonner  had  achieved  200  per- 
cent mission  accomplishment  which 
attributed  to  his  being  named  SWRRC 
Recruiter  of  the  Year.  Besides  receiving 
several  DRC  awards  for  outstanding 
production,  Bonner  is  a member  of  the 
SWRRC  100  Club  and  the  CG  USAREC 
100  Club  and  has  been  awarded  the 
“Eagle  Flight  Award.” 

“My  family  contributes  greatly  to 
my  success  in  recruiting,”  says  Bon- 
ner. “If  you  have  to  battle  with  family 
and  battle  with  the  pressure  you  get  on 
recruiting,  you  cannot  make  it  at  all. 
But  if  you  have  somebody  who  will 
give  you  a shove  when  you  need  it  and 
give  you  some  constructive  criticism  - 
that’s  what  pushes  you  to  be  suc- 
cessful.” 

Daughters  Princess,  13,  and  Lisa,  9, 
show  an  active  interest  in  Daddy’s 
career  and  provide  moral  support  when 
needed.  Bonner  might  have  to  put  his 
daughter’s  referrals  in  suspense  for 
awhile  but  they  are  enthusiastically 
offered.  Both  daughters  were  thrilled 
for  him  when  he  got  SWRRC  Recruiter 
of  the  Year  and  disappointed  that  he 
did  not  go  on  to  get  USAREC  Re- 
cruiter of  the  Year.  In  typical  daughter 
fashion,  they  thought  daddy  was  the 
best. 

“Recruiting  is  no  problem  - it’s  just 
talking  to  people  and  telling  them  the 
truth  about  the  Army,”  says  Bonner. 
He  really  believes  in  his  product.  “ Just 
tell  them  what  we’ve  got,  because  we 
do  have  the  best.” 

Bonner  has  been  an  infantryman 
and  a drill  sergeant.  He  feels  this 
background  gives  him  the  knowledge 
to  tell  applicants  what  they  are  going 
to  go  through  after  enlisting  in  the 
Army. 


“You  can’t  give  a kid  too  much 
information.”  Bonner  tells  his  appli- 
cants all  he  can  about  the  Army  and 
builds  credibility  by  “shooting 
straight”  with  them.  He  feels  credibi- 
lity pays  off  in  the  long  run.  “If  you 
build  credibility  maybe  it  doesn’t  pay 
off  today,  tomorrow,  or  next  week  but 
3 or  4 months  down  the  road.  When 
these  kids  come  back  from  basic  and 
AIT,  that  is  when  they  are  going  to  tell 
other  kids  ‘Hey,  go  down  there  and 
talk  to  that  guy  - he’s  going  to  shoot 
straight  with  you.’  When  that  word 
gets  around  the  schools  and  when  that 
word  gets  around  the  town,  that’s 
what  brings  them  in  the  office.” 

Is  Lawton  a walk-in  station?  “Sure 
Lawton  is  a walk-in  station,  but  WE 
made  it  that  way  by  building  credibi- 
lity in  the  town.  Cultivating  an  area 
into  a walk-in  area  requires  hard  work 
and  professional  salesmanship.  The 
recruiters  must  be  well  known  and 
respected  in  the  town.”  Obviously, 
Bonner  and  the  other  recruiters  in 


Lawton  have  achieved  these  standards. 

Bonner  started  practicing  pride  in 
ownership  long  before  it  was  formerly 
initiated  by  USAREC.  He  knows  that 
someday  he  may  go  back  to  the  “real” 
Army  and  wants  quality  people  to  be 
in  that  Army.  At  the  close  of  FY81 
Bonner  had  42  seniors  and  diploma 
grads  attributed  to  his  professional 
salesmanship.  He  clearly  understands 
the  importance  of  placing  people  in 
the  Army  whom  he  would  be  proud  to 
serve  with  and  has  consistently  re- 
stricted his  prospecting  to  that  quality 
type  of  applicant. 

He  has  proven  himself  to  be  a dy- 
namic recruiter  possessing  an  inex- 
haustible reservoir  of  energy  and  mo- 
tivation. He  has  set  certain  goals  for 
himself  throughout  his  recruiting  ca- 
reer and  has  invariably  obtained  those 
goals.  These  are  just  a few  of  the 
qualities  that  have  earned  him  respect 
in  recruiting  and  the  honor  of  being 
Southwest  Region  Recruiter  of  the 
Year.  S' 


MARCH  1982 


11 


Sergeant  First  Class  Bruce  D.  Sharp, 
a Portland  DRC  recruiter  and  station 
commander,  sets  high  goals  for  him- 
self. His  latest  accomplishment  is  be- 
ing named  Western  Region  Recruiter 
of  the  Year  for  1981. 

Sharp  has  been  on  recruiting  duty 
one  and  a half  years.  He  feels  he  got 
off  on  the  right  foot  by  listening  to  the 
former  station  commander.  “He  helped 
me  adjust.  The  good  training  included 
how  to  adapt  recruiting  school  basics 
to  real  life,”  SFC  Sharp  said. 

He  finished  FY  81  at  128  percent. 
This  was  in  addition  to  his  station 
commander  duties  which  he  assumed 
in  February  1981,  after  being  in  the 
Portland  DRC  six  months.  Four  new 
recruiters  were  trained  before  the  end 
of  the  year. 

He  broke  the  ice  in  several  high 
schools  as  the  emphasis  changed  to 
recruiting  more  high  school  seniors 
and  graduates.  “You  have  to  work 
with  all  parts — administrators,  coun- 


selors, and  teachers,”  he  said. 

“The  high  visibility  of  the  uniform 
helps,”  he  said. 

“If  you  take  resources  out  of  the 
community  you  have  to  do  something 
to  fill  that  void,”  he  said.  Sharp  is 
involved  in  the  community  on  several 
levels.  He  is  a member  of  a high 
school  Dad’s  Club  and  an  elementary 
school  PTA.  He  is  very  active  in  his 
church  where  he  is  in  charge  of  the 
youth  program  which  plans  activities 
for  children  ages  six  to  19. 

His  wife  Ginger  is  a vital  link  in  his 
success.  She  attends  many  functions 
with  her  husband.  Bruce  Dexter  Sharp, 

II,  completes  his  family. 

“Everyone  should  have  a well- 
rounded  career  in  the  Army,”  said 
Sharp  who  was  an  instructor  at  the 
3rd  Division  NCO  Academy  in  Ger- 
many before  recruiting  duty.  He  hopes 
to  go  to  drill  instructor  school  follow- 
ing this  tour.  His  career  goal  is  to 
become  Sergeant  Major  of  the  Army.®* 


WRRC  Recruiter  of  the  Year 


SFC 

Bruce 

Sharp 


WRRC  USAR  Recruiter  of  the  Year 


by  SFC  Jimmie  Ferguson 
San  Francisco  DRC 

Training  and  teamwork  are  the  qual- 
ities to  which  SFC  James  Wirz  attri- 
butes to  his  successful  nomination  as 
the  WRRC  Reserve  Recruiter  of  the 
Year,  FY  1981.  The  California  native 
closed  out  the  year  with  44  contracts 
against  his  objective  of  29  for  152 
percent. 

“The  area  training  has  been  effec- 
tive, and  the  great  recruiting  partners 
I have  been  able  to  work  with  are  the 
foundations  for  my  success,”  said 
Wirz,  “but  my  love  of  and  belief  in  the 
Army  have  been  major  factors  in  my 
recruiting  efforts.” 

After  10  years  of  active  duty,  Wirz 
left  the  military  to  attend  college. 
“After  I had  received  my  degree,  I 
tried  to  come  back  in  on  active  duty 
but  the  Army’s  Qualitative  Manage- 
ment Program  wouldn’t  allow  me  at 
the  same  grade.  So,  I volunteered  to 


be  a reserve  recruiter.  I have  always 
tried  to  encourage  good  people  to 
stay  in  the  Army  as  well  as  to  join.  I 
wouldn’t  do  this  for  someone  who  I 
wouldn’t  want  to  serve  with  in  com- 
bat. The  Army  is  my  profession  and  I 
love  it  and  I wouldn’t  want  a low- 
quality  person  in  it.” 

Wirz  began  his  career  in  the  Army 
as  a light  weapons  expert  assigned  to 
the  Special  Forces  but  ended  his  ac- 
tive tour  as  a Veterinary  Research 
Specialist.  “I  have  traveled  around  the 
world  two  and  one-half  times,”  said 
Wirz,  “all  at  the  expense  of  the  Army. 
The  Army  has  been  good  to  me.” 

“I  have  had  lots  of  good  things 
happen  to  me  since  I have  been  in  the 
Reserves,”  Wirz  continued.  “I  was 
once  offered  a commission  as  a cap- 
tain, but  I turned  it  down.  I feel  the 
NCO  Corps  is  the  backbone  of  the 
Army  and  I can  accomplish  more  as 
an  NCO  than  I could  as  an  officer.”  S' 


SFC 

James 

Wirz 


12 


all  VOLUNTEER 


Sgt  Jeffrey  Fleetwood 

USAREC’s  New  Recruiter 


by  Loring  D.  Wilson 
Baltimore-Washington  DRC 

December  was  quite  a month  for 
SGT  Jeffrey  Fleetwood  of  the  Balti- 
more-Washington DRC. 

Within  a few  weeks  of  being  chosen 
Rookie  Recruiter  of  the  Year,  he  was 
informed  that  he  had  been  accepted 
by  Officer’s  Candidate  School. 

Success  is  no  stranger  to  Fleet- 
wood,  so  it  comes  as  no  surprise  to 
those  who  worked  with  him  for  the  10 
months  he  served  on  recruiting  duty  in 
the  Seaford  area.  In  those  10  months 
alone,  Fleetwood  recruited  56  enlist- 
ees for  the  active  component  and  one 
for  the  USAR.  That’s  the  most  quality 
recruits  for  any  recruiter  in  the  coun- 
try on  duty  less  than  a year. 

His  record  in  his  recruiting  area 
virtually  foretold  the  outcome  of  the 
“Rookie  Recruiter”  selection.  CPT 
Keith  Cromartie,  Seaford  Area  Com- 
mander, which  includes  Maryland’s 
Eastern  Shore,  Virginia’s  Eastern 
Shore,  and  most  of  Delaware,  started 
his  own  award  program  for  the  re- 
cruiter who  made  his  mission  for  the 
month.  The  award  consists  of  a small 
toy  frontloader,  and  is  given  to  the 
recruiter  who  places  the  greatest 
number  of  recruits  in  the  first  part  of 
the  recruiting  month. 

In  the  seven  months  that  CPT 
Cromartie  has  run  his  program,  SGT 
Fleetwood  won  the  “Frontloader  of 
the  Month”  six  times,  and  took  the 
“Frontloader  of  the  Year”  award  as 
well,  a larger  version  of  the  same  toy 
machine. 

Fleetwood  enlisted  for  the  USMA 
Prep  School  in  1977,  and  in  1978 
joined  the  prestigious  US  Army  Drill 


Team  at  Ft.  Myer,  where  he  served 
until  his  assignment  to  the  Salisbury 
Recruiting  Station  in  February  1981. 
While  stationed  at  Ft.  Myer,  Fleet- 
wood  attended  Northern  Virginia 


In  ten  months, 
Fleetwood 
recruited  56 
enlistees  for  the 
active  component 
and  one  for  the 
USAR 


Community  College  and  the  Univer- 
sity of  Maryland  at  College  Park, 
receiving  his  Bachelor’s  Degree  in 
Government  and  Politics  in  January 
1981. 

Fleetwood’s  military  service,  in  ad- 
dition to  the  prestige  he  has  received 
as  a member  of  the  USADT  and  as 
Rookie  Recruiter  of  the  Year,  has 
earned  him  an  ARCOM,  a Good  Con- 
duct Medal,  the  Professional  Develop- 
ment award,  an  Expert  Infantry  Badge, 
and  a Meritorious  Service  Medal. 

Fleetwood  says  without  reserva- 
tion that  he  hates  to  leave  recruiting, 
but  certainly  OCS  is  an  excellent  step 
in  his  career  development  and  the  step 
from  E-5  to  0-1  offers  quite  a financial 
inducement  as  well.  The  next  several 
months  will  be  quite  involved,  includ- 
ing 14  weeks  basic  training,  26  weeks 
of  artillery  school,  and  a four-month 
surveying  course.  After  his  commis- 


of the  Year 


sion  as  2LT,  he  will  serve  as  a Field 
Surveyor  at  Ft.  Riley. 

Something  else  will  be  happening 
in  Fleetwood’s  life  before  his  journey 
to  Ft.  Riley.  More  than  a year  ago 
while  at  the  Salisbury  airport  he  started 
a conversation  with  an  airline  flight 
attendant  named  Patti  Whitelock.  It 
turned  out  that  Patti  was  from  Salis- 
bury, and  the  two  started  seeing  a lot 
of  each  other.  So  when  Fleetwood 
leaves  Ft.  Benning  next  month,  he  has 
five  days  of  freedom  left.  Not  because 
of  his  training  at  the  Ft.  Sill  Field 
Artillery  School  but  because  they  will 
be  married.  ^ 


USAREC’s  New  Recruiter  of  the  Year 
holds  a Frontloader  of  the  Year  award 
presented  to  him  by  his  area  commander. 


MARCH  1982 


13 


USAREC  Nurse 
Recruiter  of  the  Y ear 
SSG  Rona  Sheppard 


by  SSG  Jim  Edwards 
HQ  WRRC 

It’s  been  an  interesting  year  for 
SSG(P)  Rona  M.  Sheppard,  a nurse 
recruiter  for  the  San  Francisco  DRC. 

The  day  before  her  interview,  for 
all  VOLUNTEER,  she  was  told  she 
had  been  selected  as  the  USAREC 
Nurse  Recruiter  of  the  Year.  Before 
that  she  had  swept  the  competition  at 
DRC  and  Region  levels  for  honors  as 
their  Nurse  Recruiter  of  the  Year. 
During  the  last  few  months  she  has 
gathered  such  honors  as  the  third 
sapphire  star  to  her  gold  recruiter’s 
badge,  and  has  just  earned  her  re- 
cruiter’s ring.  Through  it  all  she  man- 
aged to  close  out  the  year  with  207 
percent  of  her  recruiting  mission 

During  her  attendance  at  a WRRC 
nurse  recruiter  conference  in  San 
Francisco,  she  took  time  to  share 
some  of  her  experiences. 

Rona  joined  the  Army  Reserve  in 
1974  after  deciding  she  wanted  more 
out  of  life  than  the  small  town  atmos- 


phere in  Kellogg,  ID.  “I  wasn’t  really 
happy,  and  it  wasn’t  where  I wanted 
to  be,”  Sheppard  said.  “I  had  always 
been  a sort  of  follower  instead  of  a 
leader.  One  day  I met  one  of  my 
former  high  school  teachers  who  was 
a part-time  recruiter  for  the  Army 
Reserve.  He  invited  me  to  look  at  the 
unit  and  I agreed. 

After  I decided  to  join,  I nearly  had 
to  throw  a tantrum  to  get  my  mother  to 
sign  the  consent  forms,  but  she  has 
really  changed  her  mind  since  then.” 

Sheppard  saw  joining  the  Army  as  a 
way  to  break  out  of  the  rut  a person 
can  fall  into  after  graduating  from 
high  school.  “All  my  friends  were 
really  shocked,”  she  continued.  “I  had 
never  been  one  to  go  off  by  myself  be- 
fore. Joining  the  Reserves  for  me  was 
still  a chicken’s  way  out,  because  I 
just  couldn’t  get  myself  to  make  the 
commitment  to  go  active,  even  though 
I had  always  been  interested  in  the 
military.” 

Given  the  chance,  she  quickly 
proved  she  had  the  stuff  it  takes  to 


meet  the  challenge.  “I  was  the  out- 
standing trainee  of  my  platoon  in 
basic  training,”  she  said  proudly. 
“After  that  I was  all  ready  to  go  active, 
I was  really  gung-ho,  and  you  know 
how  you  can  get  really  fired  up.” 

After  finding  her  potential  in  the 
Army  the  thought  of  going  active  duty 
as  a personnel  unit  clerk,  which  is 
what  she  signed  up  for,  no  longer  ap- 
pealed to  her.  She  stayed  in  the  Re- 
serves and  joined  her  unit,  company 
A,  of  the  321st  Engineer  Battalion,  at 
Wallace,  ID.  She  was  only  the  second 
woman  to  join  the  unit  of  more  than 
150  men. 

During  her  reserve  time,  she  per- 
formed as  a personnel  specialist  and 
drove  for  the  unit  commander.  Then 
she  made  the  jump  to  active  duty.  “I 
think  the  decision  to  go  on  active  duty 
was  probably  the  most  significant 
choice  of  my  life,”  she  said.  “I  had 
joined  the  Reserves  to  get  away  and  do 
something  different.”  That  restless 
spirit  took  her  first  to  MEPS  as  a 
guidance  counselor,  and  then  to  nurse 


14 


all  VOLUNTEER 


recruiting  in  1979.  It  was  on  recruiting 
that  she  really  began  to  notice  the 
change  in  her  life.  “Recruiting  has 
given  me  a lot  of  self-assurance,  con- 
fidence and  independence  that  I didn’t 
have  when  I left  Kellogg,  and  even 
when  I was  a guidance  counselor.  I 
never  had  to  do  things  on  my  own, 
now  I do.” 

She  says  she  is  successful  partly 
because  she  believes  in  being  totally 
honest  with  the  nurses  she  recruits. 
“It’s  always  the  best  policy,”  she  says. 
“Especially  since  I do  Reserve  recrui- 
ting and  have  to  face  the  people  I 
recruit. 

“I  have  been  really  lucky  to  have 
worked  with  CPT  Carol  Boetger,  my 
nurse  counselor,  and  also  to  be  a part 
of  the  best  nurse  recruiting  team  in 
Western  Region,  with  the  support  of 
what  I think  is  the  best  DRC,  San 
Francisco.  Our  personalities  compli- 
ment each  other  and  we  have  such  a 
good  time  recruiting  together,  that  we 
can’t  help  but  sell  the  Army. 

“When  I was  in  Chicago  for  the 
selection  board  I don’t  think  I could 
have  been  as  cool  and  collected  as  I 
was  if  it  hadn’t  been  for  SEC  Jim  Wirz 


and  SEC  Bob  Gormley.  I didn’t  go 
before  the  board  until  after  3 p.  m.  and 
the  stress  was  really  building.  They 
kept  me  going  and  it  went  great.” 

Recruiting  hasn’t  all  been  an  easy 
job,  she  admits.  “It  takes  a lot  of  time 
and  there  are  some  pretty  odd  hours. 
Fortunately  though,  the  people  I have 
worked  with  have  always  believed  in 
getting  the  job  done  in  the  most  expe- 
ditious way  possible,  and  then  taking 
time  to  smell  the  roses.  I may  miss 
some  things  in  the  way  of  a home  life 
because  I’m  traveling  so  much,  but 
I’ve  had  some  experiences  that  I 
couldn’t  possibly  have  had  any  other 
way;  like  Guam,  three  trips  to  Hawaii, 
and  then  there’s  Yosemite,  Reno, 
Newport  Beach  and  many  more.  I’ve 
been  to  some  wonderful  places,”  she 
said  smiling. 

The  26-year-old  leader  appears  re- 
laxed and  comfortable  with  herself. 
She  smiles  easily  and  possesses  a 
poise  that  makes  it  easy  to  believe  that 
she  swept  the  competition  for  her 
most  recent  honor  at  Chicago.  “The 
stress  has  really  been  incredible  this 
past  six  weeks,”  she  says.  “But  I’ve 
had  a lot  of  support.  From  studying 


for  the  board  I’ve  become  a treasure 
chest  of  trivia,  and  I have  been  driving 
my  co-workers  crazy.  Would  you  like 
to  know  the  dimensions  of  a straddle 
trench?,”  she  asked,  evidently  disap- 
pointed that  the  board  hadn’t  asked 
her. 

Even  though  for  the  past  month  she 
has  read  nothing  but  Army  Regula- 
tions, she  usually  prefers  horror  stories 
and  relaxing  things  like  baking  and 
spending  time  at  home  with  Beaure- 
gard, her  parakeet. 

Her  current  tour  ends  in  October, 
but  she  plans  to  extend  for  another 
two  or  three  year  tour,  at  first  to 
continue  her  nurse  recruiting,  but  later 
she  hopes  to  move  up  to  a staff  position. 

After  what  has  happened  to  her 
over  the  past  few  months,  she  finds  it 
harder  to  set  her  goals.  “I  seem  to  have 
wiped  out  all  my  previous  goals,”  she 
pointed  out.  “Five  years  ago,  I had  no 
idea  where  I would  be  or  that  I could 
possibly  be  where  I am  today.  So 
instead  of  projecting  too  far  ahead,  I 
think  right  now  I would  just  like  to 
take  a look  at  things,  take  it  one  day  at 
a time,  and  concentrate  on  being  all  I 
can  be.”  5" 


SWRRC  Nurse  Recruiter  of  the  Year  SFC  Hoyt  Claburn 


Sergeant  First  Class  Hoyt  Claburn, 
Albuquerque  DRC’s  Gold  Badge  and 
Ring  Recruiter,  has  received  another 
honor  in  being  selected  Southwest 
Region  Nurse  Recruiter  of  the  Year  for 
1981. 

Claburn  has  a great  production  re- 
cord of  32  enlistments  against  an  ob- 
jective of  seven  for  Regular  Army  and 
five  for  USAR.  He  has  been  a member 
of  the  USAREC  CG’s  100  Club  since 
its  inception. 

Claburn  attributes  his  success  to 
the  teamwork  of  the  Nurse  Recruiting 
Team.  He  and  his  counselor,  CPT  Tim 
Williams,  and  SFC  Dave  Inwood, 
Denver  DRC’s  nurse  recruiter,  work 
together  discussing  and  reviewing 
what  they’re  going  to  do  as  well  as 
when  and  how  to  do  it.  “All  three  of  us 
really  believe  in  the  Army  and  in  what 
we’re  doing,”  says  Claburn.  Inwood 


was  selected  USAREC  Nurse  Recrui- 
ter of  the  Year  for  1980. 

“Regardless  of  the  number  of  peo- 
ple we’re  working  with,  we  work  each 
applicant  as  if  he  or  she  were  the  only 
one,”  Claburn  continued.  “That’s  the 
Denver- Albuquerque  philosophy.” 

Applicants  being  interviewed  are 
presented  with  all  the  educational  op- 
portunities in  the  Army  Nurse  Corps. 
Claburn  is  always  available  to  answer 
their  questions.  Sometimes  he  gets 
referrals  from  them. 

“Honesty  is  absolutely  essential,” 
Claburn  said.  “An  applicant  must  be 
prepared  to  go  in  the  Army  by  learning 
about  the  whole  Army  and  not  just 
about  the  Nurse  Corps.  They  should 
be  given  both  the  positive  and  negative 
aspects  of  the  Army,  the  negative 
aspects  will  make  the  positive  aspects 
look  better,  and  there  are  many  more 


positives  than  negatives.” 

Claburn’ s recruiting  area  covers  al- 
most 200,000  square  miles  including 
all  of  New  Mexico  and  west  Texas. 
This  large  territory  involves  a lot  of 
travel.  His  duty  station  is  in  El  Paso. 
He  says  he  gets  outstanding  support 
from  the  Albuquerque  DRC  in  travel 
and  supply  matters,  and  from  the 
Commander  and  Sergeant  Major. 

Claburn,  a native  of  Alabama,  has 
been  in  El  Paso  since  April  1980. 
Previously  he  was  nurse  recruiter  in 
Kansas  City  for  two  years.  He  joined 
the  Army  in  March  1963 , and  all  of  his 
assignments  before  he  went  into  re- 
cruiting were  as  a medical  and  clinical 
specialist.  He  did  not  have  any  re- 
cruiting experience  when  he  was  se- 
lected nurse  recruiter.  Claburn  not 
only  sells  the  “Be  all  you  can  be” 
theme,  he  lives  it.  ¥ 


MARCH  1982 


15 


WITH  AN  ALL-SCHOOL  ASSEMBLY  COMING  UP, 
Rex  Musgrave,  assistant  principal  at  Boca  Ciega,  FL 
High  School,  had  a problem. 


The  Commander-in-Chiefs  Guard  performs  close  order  drills 
during  an  appearance  at  Boca  Ciega  High  School. 


He  had  no  one  to  perform,  but  he  did  have  the  phone 
number  of  Sergeant  Robert  Bunch  of  the  St.  Petersburg 
recruiting  station. 

Bunch  arranged  an  appearance  by  the  Commander- in- 
Chief  s Guard.  Outfitted  in  their  colonial  uniforms,  the 
Guard  gave  their  customary  professional  performance 
before  an  audience  of  1,400  high  school  students. 

When  the  performance  ended,  half  of  the  students 
stayed  to  ask  questions  about  the  Guard  and  the  active 
Army.  The  result  was  that  the  Guard’s  appearance 
generated  two  enlistments  and  25  solid  leads  for  Sergeant 
Bunch.  (Steven  Otten,  Jacksonville  DRC) 

MUSIC  IN  THE  AIR  was  provided  by  the  451st  Army 
Reserve  Band  recently  in  performances  at  LaCrosse,  WI 
and  Cannon  Falls,  MN. 

Assigned  to  Ft.  Snelling,  MN,  the  band  accepted  an 
invitation  to  perform  at  the  dedication  of  the  newly 
constructed  Riverland  Girls  Scout  Center  in  LaCrosse. 
Directed  by  Warrant  Officer  Robert  Gay,  the  band 
provided  various  musical  selections  for  the  occasion. 
The  ceremony  was  attended  by  more  than  300  girl  scouts, 
their  families  and  dignitaries. 

Prior  to  the  evening’s  festivities,  a combo  composed  of 
band  members  played  in  the  lobby  of  a local  hotel.  The 
hotel  served  as  headquarters  for  the  event. 

After  a banquet,  the  band  presented  an  hour-long 
concert  and  then  played  in  the  ballroom  until  early  that 
morning. 

Hours  later,  the  band  boarded  a bus  for  Cannon  Falls 
for  their  next  performance.  Arriving  at  Cannon  Falls 


High  School,  the  band  conducted  four  band  clinics  for  the 
students.  After  the  clinics,  which  were  attended  by  more 
than  100  students,  the  band  played  an  afternoon  concert. 

Before  the  concert.  Captain  Leonard  Kloeber,  local 
Reserve  unit  commander,  spoke  about  Reserve  benefits 
and  opportunities. 


Musicians  from  the  451st  Army  Reserve  Band  perform  at  a 
TAIR  clinic  at  Cannon  Falls,  MN  High  School. 


During  the  two-day  tour,  the  band  provided  musical 
entertainment  and  a favorable  image  of  the  total  force. 
(Tom  Kennedy,  Minneapolis  DRC] 

SHOWING  THE  ARMY  AS  A CAREER  ALTERNATIVE 

can  be  a lot  of  work. 

For  Jerry  Van  Vooren,  education  coordinator  with  the 
Syracuse  DRC,  that  work  includes  educator  tours. 

Since  1976,  Van  Vooren  has  conducted  25  tours  to 
various  Army  installations.  He  has  demonstrated  Army 


16 


all  VOLUNTEER 


During  a recent  educator  tour,  Rev.  Adolph  lannaccone, 
assistant  professor  at  Canisius  College,  Buffalo,  NY,  checks 
the  tread  marks  of  an  Army  Lighter  Amphibious  Resupply 
Cargo  (LARC)  vehicle. 


“In  the  past,  we’ve  concentrated  on  inviting  principals, 
guidance  counselors  and  teachers,  but  now  we’re  going 
to  include  school  board  members,”  Van  Vooren  said. 

“The  good  will  and  rapport  we’ve  developed  with  the 
educational  community  is  invaluable  both  as  an  aid  to 
Army  recruiting  and  to  enable  educators  to  guide  their 
students  into  meaningful  careers,  including  the  Army,” 
he  said.  (Edward  P.  Reilly,  Syracuse  DRC) 


facilities,  training  and  benefits  to  about  300  educators 
from  high  schools  and  colleges.  The  tours  have  taken 
educators  from  his  area  to  Forts  Knox,  Belvoir,  Bragg, 
Dix  and  Eustis. 


station’s  parking  lot  as  an  AH-1  Cobra  and  a UH-1  Huey 
aircraft  from  Ft.  Riley  circled  overhead. 


A RIBBON  CUTTING  CEREMONY  SIGNALED  THE 
OPENING  of  the  new  Red  Oak,  lA  recruiting  station 
recently. 

Using  an  Army  saber.  Red  Oak  Mayor  Raymond  G. 
Gustafson  cut  the  red,  white  and  blue  ribbon  stretched 
across  the  station’s  door. 

Staff  Sergeant  George  Williams  provided  refresh- 
ments and  decorated  the  new  station  for  the  event.  He 
posted  fliers  inviting  Red  Oak  residents  to  visit  the 
station.  An  advertisement  in  the  Red  Oak  Express  also 
invited  Red  Oakers  to  welcome  Williams  to  the  com- 
munity and  to  see  the  Army  rappelling  demonstration. 

After  the  ribbon  cutting,  the  spectators  gathered  in  the 


Rappellers  move  across  the  ground  after  descending  from  a 
UH-1  Huey  helicopter. 

Hovering  40  feet  above  a grassy  field  near  the  parking 
lot,  the  rappellers  descended  to  the  ground. 

After  the  rappelling  demonstration,  the  pilots  landed 
the  aircraft  close  to  the  recruiting  station  to  serve  as  static 
displays.  People  crowded  around  the  helicopters  and 
praised  the  rappelling  team  for  their  flawless  perfor- 
mance. (Chris  Phillips,  Omaha  DRC] 


MARCH  1982 


17 


r 


THEY  WERE  TOLD  ONCE  their  limited  time  in  service, 
low  rank,  marriage  and  the  care  for  their  infant  would 
hinder  their  ability  for  becoming  successful  recruiters. 

By  1978,  William  and  Bonnie  McFadden  had  proven 
the  Army  wrong.  Not  only  had  the  husband  and  wife 
team  become  successful  recruiters  in  less  than  four 
years,  they  also  received  their  recuiter’s  gold  rings  in  less 
than  the  usual  six  year  average. 

Soon  after  entering  the  Army  in  1975,  they  eyed  the 
possibility  of  becoming  recruiters.  They  knew  the  Army 
selected  people  in  the  grades  E-6  and  above  and  the 
minimum  grade  was  E-5. 

“We  were  working  at  Ft.  Carson  when  we  learned  that 
a USAREC  recruiting  team  would  visit  the  post,”  Bonnie 
recalled.  “It  was  the  opportunity  we  had  waited  for  and 
we  were  ready.” 

We  became  discouraged  the  first  day  when  we  had  to 
wait  from  8 a.m.  to  10:30  p.m.  for  our  interview,” 
William  said.  “It  seemed  we  had  nothing  going  for  us.” 

The  interview  ran  late  into  the  night.  “We  were  all 
tired,”  Bonnie  said.  “They  asked  us  to  think  it  over 
carefully  and  let  them  know  how  we  felt  the  next  day.  I 
really  believe  they  thought  we  would  back  out  with  so 
many  odds  against  us.” 

Bonnie  was  selected  as  an  E-5  to  attend  the  recruiter’s 
school  at  Ft.  Harrison.  After  completion  of  the  school, 
the  couple  was  assigned  to  Houston.  Bonnie  worked  as  a 
recruiter  and  William  as  a processing  clerk  at  the  Houston 
MEPS. 

Meanwhile,  he  requested  a board  hearing  to  waive  the 
E-5  requirement  for  the  school.  He  too  was  allowed  to 
attend  the  recruiters  school. 

After  the  school,  he  and  Bonnie  were  assigned  to  the 
New  Orleans  DRC  to  work  as  a recruiting  team. 

Bonnie  became  the  top  DRC  recruiter  of  1977  and  was 
later  promoted  to  E-6.  Another  assignment  to  the  Dallas 
DRC  followed  and  Bonnie  earned  her  gold  ring.  She  had 
progressed  from  three  sapphire  stars  to  the  gold  ring  in 
less  than  one  year. 

William  was  promoted  to  E-6  in  1980  and  is  currently  a 
recruiter  at  the  Dallas  main  station.  While  Bonnie  no 
longer  recruits,  she  is  still  involved  in  recruiting  as  a 
guidance  counselor  at  the  Dallas  DRC.  (Bill  Smith,  Dallas 
DRC) 

A KANSAS  SOLDIER  PLAYS  A DUAL  ROLE  in  the 

Army. 

Master  Sergeant  Robert  D.  Beard,  assistant  area 
commander  in  Wichita  is  also  a captain  in  the  Reserves. 


His  dual  role  began  as  part  of  the  Army’s  Dual 
Component  Direct  Commissioning  Program,  which  keeps 
a ready  force  of  qualified  officers  in  the  event  of  a 
national  emergency. 

The  Wichita  native  has  18  years  in  the  Army  and  has 
been  in  recruiting  for  the  past  10  years.  Before  coming 
home  to  Wichita  six  years  ago,  he  served  in  the  Detroit 
and  Lansing  DRCs.  He  received  his  gold  badge  in  1977 
and  his  three  sapphires  by  1979.  He  became  assistant 
area  commander  in  1980. 

Beard  and  his  wife  plan  to  stay  in  their  hometown  after 
his  retirement  in  two  years.  He  plans  to  become  an 
instructor  at  the  USAR  school  in  Wichita  as  a captain. 
(Peggy  Parson,  Kansas  City  DRC] 


WITH  FIGHTING  EQUIPMENT  IN  PACKS  ON 
THEIR  BACKS,  six  pugilists  arrived  recently  in  Puerto 
Rico  to  conduct  a boxing  clinic. 


Team  captain  SP4  Albert  Hodge  and  PFC  Cedric  Mingo 
conduct  a boxing  training  exercise  as  Coach  Robert  Dorsey 
supervises  the  training  at  a high  school  in  Dorado,  Puerto 
Rico. 

The  fighters  from  Ft.  Stewart  demonstrated  their  skills 
at  19  high  schools  throughout  Puerto  Rico.  They  also 
showed  their  skills  at  two  DEP  functions  and  in  a boxing 
smoker  at  Ft.  Buchanan. 


18 


all  VOLUNTEER 


Coached  by  Sergeant  First  Class  Robert  Dorsey,  the 

clinics  consisted  of  instructions  on  training,  physical  and 
mental  conditioning,  boxing  techniques,  judging  and 
scoring. 

The  boxers  also  explained  the  use  of  gloves,  headgear 
and  mouthpieces  used  by  boxers.  At  the  end  of  each  hour- 
long  session,  the  students  had  a chance  to  ask  questions. 
(Laura  G.  Soto,  San  Juan  DRC] 

CONTRARY  TO  POPULAR  BELIEF,  TATTOO  is  more 
than  a short  guy  in  a white  suit  yelling  “the  plane,  the 
plane.” 

A tattoo  is  also  a military  exercise  with  a long  European 
tradition.  The  tattoo  is  highly  respected  in  the  highlands 
of  Scotland. 

As  members  of  the  Old  Guard  Fife  and  Drum  Gorps 
discovered  recently,  the  spirit  of  the  highlands  lives  in 
Winter  Park,  FL  on  St.  Andrews  Day.  In  honor  of 
Scotland’s  patron  saint,  the  St.  Andrews  Society  held  the 
first  St.  Andrews  Parade  and  Tattoo  held  in  North 
America. 

Following  an  appearance  in  the  parade,  the  Fife  and 
Drum  Gorps  performed  at  the  tattoo  with  pipe  and  drum 
units  from  as  far  away  as  England.  An  enthusiastic 
crowd  of  people  dressed  in  the  tartan  plaids  of  their  clans 
applauded  the  Fife  and  Drum  Gorps  for  their  stirring 
music  and  precision  drill. 

As  a fitting  close  to  the  ceremonies,  the  Gorps  per- 
formed for  the  Kirking  of  the  Tartans.  This  ceremony, 
held  in  the  Rollins  Gollege  Ghapel,  commemorates  the 
spirit  of  Scottish  independence  following  a defeat  by  the 
English  in  1745.  [Steven  Otten,  Jacksonville  DRG] 

WHEN  SHE  WAS  THIRTEEN,  Chris  King  decided  to 
join  the  service.  At  18,  she  enlisted  and  one  year  later  is 
serving  as  a recruiter  aide  in  the  Des  Moines  South 
recruiting  station. 

In  only  two  months,  she  helped  place  nine  people  in 
the  Army. 

Is  she  surprised?  “Not  really,”  she  said,  “I’ve  just  been 
talking  to  people  and  I give  them  a chance  to  see  how 
much  fun  I’ve  been  having  in  the  Army.” 

Chris  grew  up  with  the  service  being  a very  important 
part  of  her  life.  Her  father  was  in  the  Army  and  later  in 
the  Air  F orce.  Her  older  brother  was  also  in  the  Air  F orce. 
She  recognized  the  value  of  the  training,  enjoyed  the 
experiences  of  the  travel  and  appreciated  the  security  of 
the  job. 

She  stood  firm  on  her  resolution  to  join  the  military 


even  though  several  people  told  her  the  military  is  not  the 
right  place  for  a woman. 

“In  the  Army,  being  a woman  doesn’t  matter,”  she  said 


^^\TED  S^TES  AfiKjy 


DISTRICT 


RECRUITING 

COMMAND 


Private  Chris  King  (center)  takes  a break  from  her  busy 
recruiting  activities  with  Kevin  Mauro  and  Annie  Jones,  two  of 
her  recent  recruits. 


adding  “All  they  ask  is  that  you  do  your  job  and  if  you 
can  do  that,  you’re  accepted. 

Her  recruiting  philosophy  is  simple.  “I  don’t  try  to  sell 
the  Army.  When  I talk  to  people,  I say,  you’re  juniors  and 
seniors,  you  need  to  make  up  your  minds  about  the 
future.  I suggest  they  check  all  branches  of  service, 
colleges  and  vocational  schools.  With  that  information, 
they’ll  be  able  to  make  some  wise  decisions.  They  may 
choose  the  Army.  I did.”  (Jane  Thomas,  Des  Moines  DRC) 


MARCH  1982 


19 


USAREC  Soldier  of  the  Year 


by  SP5  Karen  Murdock 

What’s  it  like  to  be  the  USAREC 
Soldier  of  the  Year?  “Great,  just  great,” 
according  to  SP5  Karen  Ridge,  this 
year’s  winner. 

The  Army  wasn’t  always  this  much 
fun  for  Ridge,  who  is  assigned  to 
SERRC  as  the  Military  Awards  Clerk 
in  the  Personnel  & Administrative 
Division. 

“I  really  wanted  out  during  basic,” 
she  said.  "It  was  rough,  especially 
being  in  the  first  test  cycle  of  male  and 
female  basic  training.” 

Nearly  six  years  ago  Karen  decided 
to  give  the  military  a try.  "I  went  down 
to  see  the  Air  Force  recruiter.  The  sign 
on  his  door  said  he  wouldn’t  be  back 
for  an  hour  and  the  Army  recruiter 


invited  me  in.  After  he  told  me  what 
the  Army  had  to  offer,  I decided  the 
Army  would  be  a good  choice.” 

Karen  enlisted  as  a clerk-typist  (Ad- 
ministrative Specialist).  She  was  sold 
on  the  travel  opportunities  the  Army 
could  give  her  and  the  challenge  of  the 
Army  itself.  “I  was  hoping  the  mili- 
tary would  make  me  a more  mature 
individual,  and  I can  honestly  say  it 
has.” 

Karen  enjoys  the  excitement  of  re- 
cruiting. “We’re  here  to  support  the 
recruiter  and  I enjoy  doing  it.  I know 
you  can’t  get  mad  at  a recruiter,  but  by 
helping  him,  I can  help  make  his 
mission.” 

Since  becoming  Soldier  of  the  Year, 


Karen  has  seen  no  change  in  the 
attitude  of  her  fellow  soldiers.  “They 
treat  me  the  same  way  they  always 
have,  hardly  anyone  mentions  it  now.” 
Basically  a quiet  person,  Karen  en- 
joys reading,  sewing,  needlepoint  and 
watching  major  league  baseball. 

While  in  the  military,  Karen  fell  in 
love  with  Europe.  “I  really  got  a chance 
to  travel  when  I was  assigned  to  the 
2nd  Support  Command  (Corps)  in 
Stuttgart,  Germany.  I saw  Berlin,  Hol- 
land, Switzerland,  Austria  and  Eng- 
land firsthand.  Some  day  I hope  to  be 
stationed  there  again.” 

Karen  could  not  be  classified  as  a 
women’ s libber.  “ I think  the  Army  has 
a lot  to  offer  a female.  It  gives  you  all 
the  same  benefits  that  a man  gets,  and 
you  are  treated  very  equally.” 

“I  still  believe  a woman  should  start 
in  the  administrative  field  unless  she 
really  has  a strong  desire  to  get  into  a 
non- traditional  skill.  I’ve  seen  a lot  of 
females  go  into  a field  that  was  differ- 
ent who  then  had  a hard  time  of  it. 
Definitely  make  sure  you  can  be  com- 
petitive in  the  job  you  choose.” 

“I  really  had  no  idea  that  I would 
ever  enter  the  military.  When  they 
gave  the  ASVAB  in  school,  I didn’t 
take  it.  The  Army  was  the  furthest 
thing  from  my  mind.” 

Now  Karen  is  planning  on  making 
the  Army  a career.  Karen  is  due  for  re- 
enlistment in  March  and  she  is  seri- 
ously thinking  about  becoming  a re- 
cruiter. If  she  does  change  her  mind  it 
will  be  because  of  her  desire  to  go  to 
language  school  and  become  a Rus- 
sian interpreter. 

Karen  has  a little  advice  for  people 
who  are  about  to  go  in  front  of  a 
board.  “If  you’re  like  me,  you’ll  be 
scared  to  death.  You  just  have  to 
remember  that  they  are  human  too. 
Once  you  get  that  salute  out  of  the 
way  everyone  calms  down.” 

It  just  goes  to  show  you:  beauty, 
brains  and  the  Army  can  go  together. 
Especially  if  you’re  SP5  Karen  Ridged? 


USAREC  Soldier  of  the  Year  SP5  Karen  Ridge  talks  about  the  Army. 


20 


all  VOLUNTEER 


SWRRC  USAR  Recruiter  of  the  Year 
John  Driver 


by  Jimmie  H.  Hartfield 
Jackson  DRC 

Before  a good  driver  commences  a 
trip,  he  determines  his  destination  and 
maps  out  his  course.  The  driver  gathers 
all  essential  supplies,  relaxes  and  then 
begins  his  journey,  taking  with  him 
courtesy  and  a watchful  eye  for  the 
other  person.  Good  planning  and  a 
good  attitude  all  assure  that  the  trip 
will  be  a productive  and  enjoyable 
one. 

Like  a good  highway  driver,  USAR 
recruiter  John  Driver’s  self  confidence, 
positive  attitude,  effective  time  man- 
agement, and  concern  for  others  are 
major  factors  which  contributed  to  his 
selection  as  Southwest  Region  Re- 
cruiting Command’s  USAR  Recruiter 
of  the  Year. 

It  never  enters  Driver’ s mind  that  he 
may  not  make  mission;  his  question 
is,  by  how  much  will  he  exceed  his 
goal.  “ If  a guy  spends  his  time  the  way 
he’s  supposed  to,  he  can  accomplish 
his  mission  without  working  long 
hours,”  Driver  has  discovered. 

John  Driver 


To  be  successful.  Driver  insists  that 
one  has  to  have  a good  work  plan,  and 
stick  to  that  plan.  “My  plan  includes 
making  every  minute  I’m  working 
productive.  I make  sure  I work  the 
entire  market,  including  high  school, 
prior  service,  and  the  colleges.  It  is 
important  to  follow  up,  and  to  beat  the 
other  services  out.  In  other  words,  my 
motto  is  ‘be  there  firstest  with  the 
mostest’.” 

Many  recruiters  waste  a couple  of 
weeks  servicing  potential  recruits  who 
do  not  qualify  for  the  Army  or  Army 
Reserve.  An  efficiency  buff.  Driver 
stresses  that  it  is  essential  to  try  to  dis- 
qualify a person  as  soon  as  he  talks  to 
him.  “This  saves  valuable  time  and,  in 
order  to  deal  in  volume,  you  have  to 
eliminate  ineligibles  as  quickly  as 
possible”,  he  says. 

Once  the  process  of  elimination  is 
completed,  the  outstanding  recruiter 
sets  out  to  tell  the  Army  story  and  to 
tell  it  well.  He  takes  great  pride  in 
showing  others  what  the  Army  can  do 
for  them  and  how  they  can  attain  their 
goals  through  the  Reserve.  “Each  day, 
I talk  to  as  many  people  as  I can,  both 
on  the  telephone  and  in  person.  I 
explain  the  bonus  and  educational 
benefits  to  them  . . . show  them  how 
they  can  get  money,  learn  job  skills, 
and  get  an  education,”  explains  Driver. 
Realizing  that  people  are  different,  he 
deals  with  each  individual  according 
to  his  needs  and  how  the  Army  Re- 
serve can  meet  those  needs. 

Relaxed  and  communicative  in  the 
Memphis  Area  commander’s  office, 
the  immaculately  dressed  and  groomed 
Driver  reflected  on  the  events  in  his 
life  which  have  laid  the  foundation  for 
his  work-satisfaction  and  success. 

Born  in  Farmington,  KY,  Driver 
graduated  from  Mayfield  High  School 
in  Mayfield,  KY  in  1950.  In  1951,  he 
enlisted  in  the  Marine  Corps  and  served 
as  a machine  gunner  in  Korea.  He  was 
discharged  from  the  Marines  in  1954. 


From  1955  to  58,  Driver  attended  Mur- 
ray State  University,  Murray,  KY. 
Interested  in  sales,  he  landed  a job  as  a 
salesman  for  the  Sunshine  Biscuit 
Company,  but  found  that,  while  he 
enjoyed  sales,  he  missed  the  military. 
Subsequently,  he  enlisted  in  the  Army 
in  1965  where  he  worked  as  a tanker 
in  the  infantry,  a drill  sergeant,  and  as 
a recruiter  for  the  Rockford  recruiting 
station  in  the  Peoria  DRC  for  three  and 
one-half  years. 

Nearing  retirement  and  pondering 
his  future.  Driver  searched  for  a job 
which  would  allow  him  to  deal  with 
people.  He  had  discovered  that  he  liked 
to  help  people  and  to  guide  them  in 
setting  their  goals.  He  wanted  a job 
which  did  not  require  him  to  punch  a 
time  clock,  which  would  give  him  a 
good  deal  of  responsibility  and  involve 
selling.  He  became  aware  of  civilian 
recruiting  positions  in  the  Army  and 
discovered  that  a recruiting  position 
would  fill  the  bill  for  the  job  he  desired. 

Three  days  after  retiring  from  the 
Army,  the  now  experienced  recruiter 
was  interviewed  by  the  Jackson  DRC 
commander  and  was  hired  for  the 
USAR  recruiting  job  in  Memphis. 

Driver  feels  that  his  success  has  been 
strengthened  by  the  tremendous  sup- 
port of  his  station  commander,  area 
commander,  DRC  commander  and  the 
Reserve  Operations  Section  of  the 
Jackson  DRC. 

Area  Commander  CPT  Kevin  C. 
Connolly  attributes  Driver’s  achieve- 
ments to  the  fact  that  “he  is  conscien- 
tious, an  extremely  hard  worker  who 
takes  a lot  of  personal  pride  in  ac- 
complishing his  recruiting  mission.” 
According  to  Connolly,  Driver  doesn’t 
waste  time.  “He  wants  to  do  well  and 
he  understands  how  to  sell  the  Army,  ” 
Connolly  emphasized. 

The  personnel  of  the  Jackson  DRC 
salute  a truly  dedicated  member  and 
realize  that  the  road  has  not  always 
been  easy,  but  “the  Driver  has  mastered 
it  well.”  % 


MARCH  1982 


21 


B Update 


Discount  fares  are  available  to  active  duty  soldiers  for 
air,  bus  and  rail  travel. 

Most  of  the  major  airlines  now  offer  a 50  percent 
discount  furlough  fare  with  a reserved  seat  to  active  duty 
soldiers.  In  addition,  academy  cadets  and  those  traveling 
within  seven  days  after  the  date  of  their  discharge  are 
eligible. 

Soldiers  are  not  required  to  travel  in  uniform,  but  must 
be  traveling  at  their  own  expense  and  should  be  prepared 
to  show  an  ID  card  or  leave  papers  or  separation  papers  to 
buy  tickets. 

Specific  information  about  airlines  and  discount  fares 
may  be  obtained  from  your  transportation  officer  or  the 
scheduled  airline  ticket  office  (SATO)  at  most  installa- 
tions. You  may  also  call  an  airline  directly. 

The  Military  Traffic  Management  Command  (MTMC) 


Although  some  380,000  companies  nationwide  have 
pledged  to  actively  support  the  military  training  needs  of 
their  employees  in  the  Reserves,  a recent  Supreme  Court 
decision  may  redefine  the  degree  of  that  support. 

In  Monroe  vs.  Standard  Oil,  Roger  Monroe,  an  em- 
ployee of  the  oil  company,  sued  for  back  pay  for  hours  he 
missed  from  his  regular  40-hour-a-week  work  schedule 
due  to  his  Reserve  obligations.  Monroe  won  his  case  in 
the  lower  courts,  but  lost  it  on  an  appeal  to  the  Supreme 
Court. 

The  court  decided  that  an  employer  is  not  obligated  to 
rearrange  a reservist’s  work  schedule  to  guarantee  him  a 


Soldiers  receive  compensation  in  many  forms  other 
than  salary,  which  can  lead  to  some  confusion  when  it 
comes  time  to  fill  out  the  income  tax  return. 

To  provide  some  guidance  as  you  work  on  your  1981 
return,  the  following  income  for  military  members  is 
exempt  and  should  not  be  included  in  your  taxable 
income. 

• Quarters  allowance 

• Subsistence  allowance 

• Clothing  allowance 

• Family  separation  allowance 

• Cost  of  living  allowance 

• Station  housing  allowance 


urges  travelers  to  check  with  an  airline  early  to  ensure  the 
lowest  fares  are  obtained.  This  is  important,  according  to 
MTMC  officials,  because  airline  tariffs  are  constantly 
changing  to  meet  competition. 

Bus  discounts  are  limited  to  selected  points  in  the 
eastern  states  and  between  eastern  and  midwestern 
states.  Fares  apply  to  both  one-way  and  round-trip  travel 
with  no  restriction  as  to  the  dates  or  time  traveled.  Check 
with  the  bus  companies  for  specific  information  on  their 
fare  discounts. 

For  rail  travel,  25  percent  discounts  are  available  on 
both  one-way  and  round-trip  coach  tickets  and  apply 
year-round.  However,  military  furlough  fares  do  not 
apply  on  the  Metroliner,  an  express  train  running  be- 
tween Washington  DC  and  New  York  City.  Again,  check 
at  a rail  terminal  for  specific  information.  (AFPS) 


40-hour  work  week,  when  no  similar  special  arrange- 
ments are  offered  other  employees. 

Although  DOD  encourages  employers  to  support  a 
strong  Reserve  by  voluntarily  helping  employees  make 
up  work  hours,  regular  or  overtime,  lost  because  of 
military  duty,  it  is  now  clear  that  the  law  does  not  require 
employers  to  do  so. 

If  you  have  questions  about  your  job  rights  regarding 
Reserve  duty,  call  the  National  Committee  for  Employer 
Support  of  the  Guard  and  Reserve,  toll-free  at  800-336- 
4590.  Ask  for  a free  copy  of  “Time  Off  for  Training:  A 
Guide  to  Job  Rights  for  Guard  and  Reserve  Members.” 
(On  Guard) 


• State  bonus  payments 

• VA  benefits  and  dividends 

• Social  Security  benefits 

• Death  gratuity  benefits  made  to  beneficiaries  of 
military  members  who  died  on  active  duty. 

• Some  disability  severance  pay  and  temporary  or 
permanent  disability  retirement  pay  elected  on  the 
basis  of  percentage  of  disability.  (See  a tax  expert 
for  specific  rules  applicable  to  you). 

Employees  of  the  Internal  Revenue  Service  will  help 
solve  problems  in  computing  income  tax  payments  or 
refunds.  (HSC,  Ft.  Sam  Houston) 


22 


all  VOLUNTEER 


Do  you  take  your  refrigerator  for  granted? 

Most  people  do  and  they  use  up  a lot  of  unnecessary 
energy  in  the  process.  Whether  your  refrigerator  is  gas  or 
electric,  there  are  things  you  can  do,  or  not  do,  to  help 
operate  it  more  efficiently. 

For  example,  did  you  know  that  frost- free  or  self- 
defrosting models  consume  more  energy  than  those 
which  must  be  defrosted  manually? 

Here  are  some  other  ways  you  can  save  energy  and  run 
yours  for  less: 

• If  at  all  possible,  place  your  refrigerator  away  from 
the  range  or  other  heat  sources.  When  placed  in  the 
coolest  spot  of  the  kitchen,  a refrigerator  runs  less  often 
and  uses  less  energy. 

• Cover  all  liquids  stored  in  the  refrigerator.  Moisture 
is  drawn  into  the  air  from  uncovered  liquids,  making  the 
refrigerator  work  harder. 

• Keep  the  cool  air  inside  your  refrigerator  and  save 
energy.  Check  the  seals  around  the  door.  If  they  are  not 
tight  enough  to  keep  a dollar  bill  from  slipping  through 
easily,  adjust  the  latch  or  replace  the  seal. 

• You  may  be  keeping  your  refrigerator  or  freezer 


compartment  too  cold  and  that  wastes  energy.  Check  the 
manual  for  the  correct  temperatures  and  adjust  the 
thermostats  accordingly.  Generally,  the  temperature 
should  be  38  to  40  degrees  F.  and  0 to  5 degrees  F.  in  the 
freezer  compartment. 

• Don’t  allow  frost  to  build  up  in  your  freezer  com- 
partment beyond  a thickness  of  1/4  inch.  Frost  on  freezer 
walls  wastes  energy  and  takes  up  space  that  could 
otherwise  be  used  for  food. 

• It  is  a good  idea  to  thaw  frozen  foods  in  the 
refrigerator  before  cooking.  As  the  food  defrosts,  it  helps 
reduce  the  cooling  requirements  of  the  refrigerator’s 
motor. 

• Dust  and  grease  accumulation  should  be  cleaned 
from  the  condenser  coils.  This  saves  electricity.  Refrig- 
erators with  clean  coils  have  longer  service  lives  and 
need  fewer  repairs. 

• To  save  energy  during  vacations  or  extended  ab- 
sences from  home,  empty  the  refrigerator,  disconnect  it 
from  the  power  outlet  and  leave  the  door  ajar. 

Following  these  simple  tips  will  save  energy  and 
money.  (On  Guard] 


VHA  questions  answered 


The  following  are  some  frequently  asked  questions 
about  the  variable  housing  allowance  (VHA). 

Q.  What  is  the  VHA? 

A.  The  VHA  is  authorized  for  the  purpose  of  helping 
soldiers  entitled  to  BAQ  to  defray  housing  costs,  if 
government  quarters  are  not  assigned,  when: 

• the  soldier  is  assigned  to  a permanent  duty  station 
located  in  GONUS  within  an  area  where  the  average 
housing  exceeds  the  average  BAQ  by  15  percent  or  more. 

• the  member  is  assigned  to  an  unaccompanied  tour 
at  a permanent  duty  station  outside  CONUS  and  his 
dependents  live  in  an  area  within  CONUS  where  the 
average  cost  of  housing  is  ISpercent  or  more  higher  than 
the  average  BAQ. 

Q.  Why  do  certain  grades  at  some  stations  get  no 
VHA? 

V 


A.  If  a soldier  in  a certain  grade  receives  no  VHA,  it 
means  the  average  total  housing  costs  determined  for  that 
grade  at  that  location  did  not  exceed  their  BAQ  by  15 
percent. 

Q.  Will  the  VHA  go  up  in  the  future? 

A.  Housing  costs  will  be  determined  and  rates  adjusted 
every  year.  Whether  the  rate  will  go  up  or  down  depends 
on  changes  in  housing  costs  as  well  as  the  size  of  future 
BAQ  raises. 

Q.  I am  single  and  living  off-post  in  a CONUS  high 
cost  area.  Can  I receive  VHA? 

A.  Yes,  if  you  are  entitled  to  BAQ.  The  VHA  is 
payable  to  all  soldiers  receiving  BAQ  at  the  ‘with’  or 
‘without  dependents’  rate  having  duty  in  a high  cost  area. 
(HSC,  Ft.  Sam  Houston] 

J 


MARCH  1982 


23 


Teresa  Baxley 


SERRC  New  Recruiter  of  the  Year 

SSG  Gene  Baxley  builds 


Steve  Often 
Jacksonville  DRC 

“I  like  people  and  I feel  that  recruit- 
ing is  the  best  job  I could  have.” 

That  is  the  recruiting  philosophy  of 
SSG  Gene  Baxley,  the  SERRC  New 
Recruiter  of  the  Year  for  FY  81. 

Baxley,  station  commander  of  the 
three-man  Winter  Haven,  FL  station, 
has  been  on  the  job  for  a year  and  a 
half.  Baxley  is  no  stranger  to  the  geo- 
graphical area  and  he  cites  that  as  a 
recruiting  asset. 

“I’m  from  this  area  and  coming 
home  has  really  opened  my  eyes,”  he 
said,  adding,  “Before  I came  into  re- 
cruiting, I hadn’t  considered  making 
the  Army  a career. 

“Now  I see  my  friends  still  punch- 
ing a time  clock  and  working  at  the 
same  job  they  were  doing  when  I left 
to  join  the  Army  and  I realize  what  a 
good  job  I do  have,”  he  said. 

That  realization  has  bred  a feeling 
of  pride  into  Baxley,  which  he  con- 
veys to  prospects. 

“I’ve  established  myself  here  and  I 


feel  as  though  I’ve  earned  the  respect 
of  my  prospects  because  I don’t  feed 
them  a line,”  Baxley  said,  adding,  “I 
tell  everyone  who  walks  through  my 
door  exactly  what  it’s  going  to  be  like 
and  people  appreciate  the  truth.” 
There  is  an  added  bonus  in  telling 
the  truth,  according  to  Baxley. 

“When  the  new  soldiers  come  home, 
I get  good  advertising,”  he  said,  “I’ve 
had  several  leads  come  in  and  tell  me 
they  want  to  join  the  Army  because 
they’ve  heard  I tell  it  straight.  That 
makes  me  feel  good.” 

Baxley  spent  seven  years  at  Ft. 
Bragg,  stationed  at  the  82nd  MP  Com- 
pany. 

“I  filled  every  job  they  had,”  he 
said,  “I  even  met  my  wife,  Teresa, 
there.  I pulled  her  over  and  gave  her 
a ticket  and  then  asked  her  out.  It’s 
worked  out  great.  We  recently  cele- 
brated our  seventh  anniversary. 

“Teresa  is  one  of  my  best  recruiting 
sources,”  he  said,  “She  was  in  the 
Army  when  I met  her  and  whenever 
she  goes  out,  she  tells  people  about 


WRRC  New  Recruiter  of  the  Year  SFC 


by  SFC  Jimmie  Ferguson 
San  Francisco  DRC 

Sometime  ago,  after  15  years  in  the 
Army,  SFC  Robert  Gormley,  now 
WRRC  New  Recruiter  of  the  Year,  re- 
ceived, the  most  discouraging  letter  of 
his  life.  He  was  selected  to  become  an 
Army  recruiter. 

“When  he  first  got  out  here,  Gormley 
wanted  to  quit,”  said  SFC  ]an  Cossey, 
station  commander.  “From  my  recrui- 
ting experience,  I recognized  his  at- 
titude as  symptomatic  of  the  typical 
rookie  recruiter.  Gormley  felt  that  the 
Army  had  made  a mistake  by  assigning 


him  as  a recruiter,  that  he  belonged 
with  the  troops.  I explained  to  him 
that  he  was  needed  in  this  assignment 
and  that  he  should  feel  privileged  that 
the  Army  felt  that  he  was  one  of 
its  best  soldiers  to  accomplish  this 
task.” 

“After  Cossey’s  talk,  I felt  a little 
embarrassed,  especially  after  I realized 
that  I am  a professional  NCO  who  had 
taken  an  oath  to  do  my  best,  regard- 
less of  the  assignment,”  said  Gormley, 
“So,  I concluded  that  the  best  thing  I 
could  do  was  to  get  out  there  and  try  to 
knock  ’em  dead.” 


The  region’s  rookie  of  the  year  tried 
to  do  just  that.  He  ended  his  first  year 
as  a recruiter  with  a 179  percent, 
contracting  25  against  an  objective  of 
14. 

What  traits  does  the  rookie  have  to 
contribute  to  his  success?  “I  attribute 
being  honest  and  having  ownership 
and  belief  in  the  product  I am  selling 
as  the  principle  traits  of  my  success,” 
said  Gormley.  “I  feel  good  when  I 
know  that  I have  taken  an  ambitious 
kid  off  the  streets  and  given  him  or  her 
the  opportunity  to  accomplish  some- 
thing within  a two  to  four-year  period.” 


24 


all  VOLUNTEER 


body  and  enlistments 


the  Army.  I get  a lot  of  people  who 
walk  in  and  tell  me  ‘your  wife  sent 
me’.” 

Baxley  and  his  wife  work  together 
at  more  than  just  recruiting.  They 
are  both  body  builders. 

“We  train  five  times  a week  and  run 
two  days  a week,”  he  said,  “The  best 
thing  is  we  get  to  do  it  together  and 
spend  time  with  each  other. 

“My  cousin,  Dennis  Wood,  is  the 
: 1981  Natural  Mr.  America  and  he’s 

my  training  partner,”  Baxley  noted, 
“Recently,  I placed  third  in  the  Mr. 
Lakeland  competition  and  my  wife 
placed  fourth  in  the  Ms.  Lakeland 
contest.  My  wife  is  one  of  the  strong- 
: est  women  in  the  county  and  she’s 

1 training  in  power  lifting.  She’s  been 
lifting  for  IV2  years  and  she  looks 
super.  She’s  gained  a lot  of  confidence 
in  herself  and  enjoys  the  competition 
and  the  training  as  much  as  I do.” 

Baxley  plans  to  compete  in  the  1982 
Natural  Mr.  Florida  contest  sched- 
! uled  for  this  summer.  According  to 
I Baxley,  the  ‘natural’  contests  are  for 


Robert  Gormley 

“I  follow  the  procedures  that  I 
learned  in  recruiting  school,  still  keep- 
ing these  traits  in  mind,”  continued 
j Gormley.  “You  have  to  let  the  prospect 
j know  that  your  time  is  their  time.  The 
I young  men  and  women  today  are  very 
intelligent.  If  you  try  blowing  bubbles 
in  their  ear,  they  will  leave  you  stand- 
ing with  the  instrument  in  your  mouth. 

“I  conduct  80  percent  of  my  inters 
views  in  the  office,  added  the  rookie. 
“This  is  where  my  reference  materials 
are  readily  available,  especially  the 
video.  Instead  of  just  telling  them 
about  it,  they  can  see  and  listen  to 


those  lifters  who  don’t  take  drugs  to 
build  up  their  bodies. 

“Those  of  us  who  are  ‘natural’  feel 
as  though  we  can’t  compete  with  the 
lifters  who  take  the  drugs,  so  there 
have  been  contests  set  up  for  us.” 

His  weightlifting  has  even  helped 
him  with  his  job. 

“My  weightlifting  has  helped  me  a 
lot  in  recruiting.  I’ve  gotten  quite  a 
few  leads  in  the  gym  and  I’m  the 
weightlifting  coach  at  a high  school,” 
he  said,  adding,  “Another  thing  that 
gives  me  good  publicity  is  when  I 
compete  in  an  event.  I’m  introduced 
as  the  Winter  Haven  Army  recruiter. 
People  see  me  as  a professional  sol- 
dier and  I look  better  in  my  uniform.” 

His  physical  stamina  also  provides 
a positive  attitude  in  recruiting. 

“When  you  feel  good  about  your- 
self, it  reflects  in  everything  you  do.  It 
also  gives  you  a positive  mental  atti- 
tude,” he  said,  continuing,  “In  recruit- 
ing, that’s  the  name  of  the  game.” 


another  young  uniformed  individual 
who  has  already  gone  through  the 
training.  Although  the  remaining  20 
percent  of  my  interviews  are  conducted 
in  high  schools  and  area  canvassing,  I 
still  try  to  get  them  into  the  office  for 
the  video  presentations.” 

Gormley  feels  that  there  is  an  ad- 
ministrative requirement,  which  if 
eliminated,  could  take  a burden  off 
the  recruiter’s  back.  “The  only  correc- 
tion that  I could  recommend  in  the  re- 
cruiting system  is  reference  the  200 
card  file  box,”  said  Gormley.  “Recrui- 
ters have  numerous  cards  on  individ- 


SSG Gene  Baxley 


uals  who  they  have  called  four-to-five 
times  with  negative  response  and  who 
are  constant  no  shows.  I would  re- 
commend that  these  cards  be  termi- 
nated and  placed  in  the  general  reser- 
voir file.  They  are  a waste  of  valuable 
time.” 

The  ex-supply  sergeant  is  scheduled 
to  attend  the  station  commander’s 
course  in  January  1981.  “I  hope  to  get 
a station  as  soon  as  possible  after  I 
complete  the  course,”  concluded  Gor- 
mley, “but  if  I don’t,  I will  keep  trying 
to  become  as  successful  next  year  as 
this  one.” 


MARCH  1982 


25 


S Diagnostic  Test 

MARCH,  1982 


1 . Which  of  the  following  is  NOT  one  of  the  basic  recruiting 
tools? 

a.  Schools  Program. 

b.  Operation  and  Analysis  Map. 

c.  Recruiting  Prospect  Card  File. 

d.  Lead  Refinement  List. 

2.  Which  of  the  following  overlays  is  optional  for  use  with 
the  Station  Operations  and  Analysis  Map? 

a.  Army  and  DOD  Contract  Overlay. 

b.  Army  Contract  Overlay. 

c.  Population  Overlay. 

d.  None  of  the  Above. 

3.  How  often  should  the  station  commander  update  the 
Army  and  DOD  Contract  Overlay? 

a.  Monthly.  c.  Quarterly. 

b.  Daily.  d.  Semi-Annually. 

4.  An  analysis  of  the  lead  source  column  of  the  Processing 
List  assists  the  station  commander  in  determining  whether 
each  recruiter  is  working  a lead  source  mix  that  will  enable 
them  to  meet  present  and  long  term  production  objectives. 

True  False 

5.  What  disposition  code  is  used  to  annotate  the  Lead 
Refinement  List  (USAREC  Form  539)  when  the  lead  indicates 
a plan  to  attend  college? 

a.  COL.  c.  CE. 

b.  Nl.  d.  200. 

6.  The  waiting  period  for  enlistment  after  a trainee  dis- 
charge (other  than  overweight  and  pregnancy)  is: 

a.  1 year.  c.  3 years. 

b.  2 years.  d.  Not  eligible. 

7.  Which  of  the  following  documents  are  NOT  acceptable 
as  verification  of  SSN? 

a.  SSAN  Card. 

b.  W-2  Form. 

c.  DD  Form  21 4. 

d.  Notarized  letter  from  parents. 

8.  Applicants  who  are  pending  charges  may  be  processed 
to  determine  their  mental  and  medical  eligibility. 

True  False 

9.  Which  of  the  following  prerequisites  must  be  met  when 
enlisting  for  language  training? 

a.  Be  a US  citizen  and  a high  school  diploma  grad. 

b.  Possess  an  ST  aptitude  area  score  of  100  or  higher. 

c.  Possess  a DLAB  score  of  89  or  higher. 

d.  All  of  the  above. 

10.  ASVAB  5,  8,  9,  or  10  scores  are  valid  for  enlistment 

purposes  for years  from  date  of  test  ad- 

ministration. 

a.  1 year.  c.  3 years. 

b.  2 years.  d.  4 years. 

11.  A complete  high  school  list  contains  at  least: 

a.  45%  of  the  class  enrollment. 

b.  65%  of  the  class  enrollment. 

c.  85%  of  the  class  enrollment. 

d.  95%  of  the  class  enrollment. 


12.  When  does  an  applicant  who  is  enlisting  for  the 
Officer  Candidate  School  Enlistment  Option  (OCS),  qualify 
for  the  Army  College  Fund  (formally  Ultra-VEAP)? 

a.  Upon  enlistment. 

b.  After  completion  of  basic  training. 

c.  After  completion  of  OCS  training. 

d.  Never. 

1 3.  What  would  be  the  maximum  VEAPentitlementdue  to 
a qualified  soldier  who  enlists  for  3 years  in  an  MOS  au- 
thorized for  the  Army  College  Fund,  if  he/she  contributes 
$50  each  month  for  36  months? 

a.  $14,700. 

b.  $15,200. 

c.  $17,400. 

d.  None  of  the  above. 

1 4.  Which  of  the  following  prospects  are  NOT  eligible  for 
Ultra  VEAP? 

a.  Male  HSDG  AFQT40. 

b.  Female  HSDG  AFQT  65. 

c.  Male  HSDG  AFQT  50. 

d.  Female  HSDG  AFQT  98. 

15.  The  enlistment  bonus,  (Table  H-17,  AR  601-210)  is 
forfeited  if  the  soldier  fails  to  contribute  to  basic  VEAP. 

True  False 

16.  If  a soldier  earned  $12,000  Army  College  Fund  and 
contributed  $50  each  month  for  24  months,  as  a full  time 

student  he/she  would  receive  $ each  month 

for months. 

a.  $557.33  each  month  for  36  months. 

b.  $558.33  each  month  for  54  months. 

c.  $557.33  each  month  for  54  months. 

d.  $558.33  each  month  for  36  months. 

17.  The  responsibility  for  determining  whether  waiver 
requests  warrant  favorable  consideration  rests  with: 

a.  Recruiting  station  commander. 

b.  Area  commander. 

c.  District  recruiting  commander. 

d.  All  levels  of  command. 

1 8.  Moral  waivers  will  be  submitted  based  on  the  offense 

as  classified 

a.  Under  county  law. 

b.  Under  state  law. 

c.  Under  federal  law. 

d.  In  accordance  with  appendixes  D thru  G,  AR  601  -21 0. 

19.  Which  of  the  following  forms  CANNOT  be  used  to 
verify  prior  service? 

a.  NGB  Form  66.  c.  DD  Form  214. 

b.  DD  Form  220.  d.  DD  Form  216. 

20.  Ownership  is  the  sense  of  responsibility  a recruiter 
feels  for  an  applicant’s  total  processing  and  treatment. 

True  False 


26 


all  VOLUNTEER 


S Recruiter  Aid 


CHAMPUS  payments  outlined. 


Editor’s  note:  This  the  eighth  in  a series  of  articles 
about  the  Uniformed  Services  Health  Benefits  pro- 
gram. Check  with  your  DRC  health  benefits  advisor 
for  specific  questions. 

Services  and  supplies  covered  by  the  basic  CHAMPUS 
program  must  be  furnished  by  a CHAMPUS  authorized 
provider.  The  individual  or  institution  must  also  meet 
certain  requirements  and  standards  found  in  the  CHAM- 
PUS regulation.  Not  every  provider  w^ill  therefore  be 
authorized  to  furnish  services  or  supplies  to  a beneficiary. 
If  the  provider  is  not  CHAMPUS  authorized,  benefits 
cannot  be  paid.  Exceptions  are  made  on  an  individual 
basis  for  medical  emergencies  within  the  US  and  Puerto 
Rico. 

A beneficiary  should  find  out  if  the  provider  is  CHAM- 
PUS authorized  before  receiving  care.  This  information 
is  available  from  the  CHAMPUS  claim  company  serving 
the  area. 

Almost  all  “individual  professional  providers”  who 
meet  CHAMPUS  requirements  are  authorized.  The  same 
is  not  true,  however,  for  specific  “institutions”  and  “other 
providers.” 

It  is  more  difficult  to  determine  the  status  of  a benefi- 
ciary than  it  is  to  find  the  status  of  a professional 
“authorized  provider.” 

There  are  institutions  which  are  have  CHAMPUS- 
authorized  providers.  A few  examples  are  short-  and 
long-term  hospitals,  psychiatric  hospitals,  Christian 
Science  sanatoriums  and  university  infirmaries. 

Some  individual  providers  are  normally  authorized  if 
they  meet  the  CHAMPUS  standards  and  if  the  care  is 
within  what  his  license  allows. 

Some  examples  are:  doctors,  dentists  [in  some  limited 


circumstances],  clinical  psychologists  and  podiatrists. 
Other  individual  providers  include  certified  nurse  mid- 
wives and  Christian  Science  practicioners  and  nurses. 

There  are  also  a few  others  who  are  authorized  if  the 
patient  is  referred  to  them  by  a doctor  who  also  provides 
supervison.  They  are:  licensed  nurses,  licensed  registered 
therapists  and  psychiatric  and  clinical  social  workers. 
Audiologists,  speech  therapists  and  marriage  and  family 
counselors  are  also  included. 

With  a physician’s  referral  or  prescription,  other  pro- 
viders are  authorized.  These  providers  include:  indepen- 
dent laboratories,  portable  x-ray  service  suppliers,  phar- 
macies and  ambulance  companies. 

Some  of  the  categories  not  authorized  are:  institutions 
(such  as  homes  for  the  aged  or  infirm],  rest-and  nursing 
homes  and  intermediate  care  facilities.  Halfway  houses 
and  institutions  of  similar  purposes,  and  technicians 
(such  as  heart  pump  technicians]  [even  when  their  services 
are  medically  related],  are  also  not  allowed.  Payment  will 
also  not  be  made  for  physicians  assistants  (non-physi- 
cians], educators,  trainers,  teachers,  or  chiropractors. 

Being  an  authorized  provider  is  not  the  same  as  being  a 
participating  provider.  A participating  provider  agrees  to 
accept  the  CHA^TPUS-determined  reasonalbly  cost  even 
thought  the  actual  bill  may  be  higher.  A nonparticipating 
provider  does  not  agree  to  accept  the  CHAMPUS-deter- 
mined  reasonable  cost  as  the  total  cost. 

As  a beneficiary,  try  to  use  a participating  provider  if 
possible,  since  the  participating  provider  completes  and 
signs  the  CHAMPUS  claim  form  and  sends  it  to  the  claim 
company  for  you.  The  CHAMPUS  share  is  paid  directly 
to  the  participating  provider  and  the  beneficiary  is 
responsible  for  the  deductable.(USAREC  QOL] 


/ 

S Diagnostic  Test 

Answers  to  January  1 982  test 


1. 

2. 

3. 

4. 

5. 

6. 

7. 

8. 
9. 

10. 


c.  (Table  2-1,  Rule  A(1),  AR  140-111). 
c.  (Table  2-1,  Rule  D1(1)(2),  AR  140-111). 

True  — (Table  2-1 , Rule  FI  (2),  AR  1 40-1 11). 

b.  (Table  2-2,  AR  140-111). 

True  — (Chapter  2,  Section  III,  Paragraph  2-1 2a,  AR  1 40-1 1 1 ). 

c.  (Chapter  2,  Section  III,  Paragraph  2-1 2b,  AR  140-111). 

c.  (Chapter  4,  Table  4-2,  Line  M,  AR  140-111). 

d.  (Chapter  5,  Section  II,  Paragraph  5-6,  AR  140-1 11). 
c.  (Chapter  5,  Table  5-1 , Note  2,  AR  1 40-1 11). 

c.  (Chapter  6,  Paragraph  6-63,  AR  1 40-1 11). 


11. 

12. 

13. 

14. 

15. 

16. 

17. 

18. 

19. 

20. 


c.  (Chapter  7,  Section  II,  Paragraph  7-6,  AR  140-1 11). 

True  — (Chapter  8,  Section  III,  Paragraph  8-2,  AR  1 40-1 11). 

c.  (Chapter  8,  Section  III,  Paragraph  8-9c,  AR  140-1 11). 

d.  (Chapters,  Table  8-1 , Line4c(5),  AR  140-111). 

c.  (Chapter  2,  Table  2-1 , Rule  C,  Line  2(1  )a,  AR  140-1 11). 

c.  (Chapter  4,  Table  4-4,  Rule  C,  AR  1 40-1 1 1 ). 

a.  (Chapter  5,  Section  II,  Paragraph  5-6d(2),  AR  140-1 11). 
True  — Chapter  2,  (Section  II,  Paragraph  2-8a,  AR  140-1 11). 

d.  (Chapter  2,  Section  II,  Paragraph  2-9a(1),  AR  140-1 11). 
c.  (Chapter  2,  Table  2-3a,  AR  1 40-1 1 1 ). 


MARCH  1982 


27 


S Rings  and  Things 

Recent  recipients  of  recruiter  rings  and  gold  badges  appear  below.  Inquiries 
concerning  these  listings  may  be  addressed  to  the  USAREC  Awards  Branch,  or 
by  calling  AV  459-3871,  commercial  (312]  926-3036. 

Recruiter  Rings 


Cincinnati 

SFC  Joseph  Yacapraro 
SFC  Penelope  Moore 
SFC  William  E.  Kinard 

Cleveland 

GS7  Cornell  Shepherd 
SSG  Wayne  D.  Poss 
SFC  Santiago  Lopez-Geli 

Columbia 

SFC  Lloyd  D.  Costner 


Albany 

SSG  Anthony  Fanelli 
SFC  Thomas  L.  Reed 

Albuquerque 

SGT  Donald  D.  Smith 

Atlanta 

SFC  Georgia  L.  Smith 

Balt/Wash 

SSG  Steven  E.  Jablonski 

Beckley 

SSG  Patsy  E.  Laubach 

Cincinnati 

SFG  Ronald  W.  Simpson 
SSG  David  D.  Walker 

Columbia 

SSG  Dwight  W.  Ayers 
SFG  Donald  L.  Lannan 
SSG  Lindell  Scott 


Honolulu 

SGM  Enos  Norbert 

Indianapolis 

SFG  James  G.  Barber 

Jackson 

SFG  Paula  R.  Randall 


Dallas 

GS7  Donald  M.  Gollins 
GS7  William  T.  Shore 

Ft.  Monmouth 

SSG  Walter  Williams 

Harrisburg 

SSG  Thomas  E.  Benner 
GS7  Guy  W.  Hanley 
SSG  Robert  F.  Harris,  Jr. 
SSG  Gunther  M.  Hinz 

Houston 

SSG  Dennis  M.  Kiselyk 

Indianapolis 

GS7  Dennis  Gismowski 
SFG  William  C.  Clements 
SSG  Carl  K.  Jones 
SFC  Kenneth  Marsh 
SSG  Gharles  E.  Morris 
SSG  Harold  D.  Thomas 


Kansas  City 

SSG  Lorenzo  S.  Ramirez 


Milwaukee 

SFG  Edward  K.  Feuker 


Minneapolis 

SFG  William  R.  Elmstrom 


Louisville 

SFC  Robert  W.  Merrick 


Newburgh 

SGT  Mario  Garcia,  Jr. 

SGT  Samuel  Morton 

New  Haven 

SGT  Frank  G.  Dane 

SSG  Frank  R.  Richardson  III 

New  Orleans 

SGT  Gerald  L.  Johnson 

Philadelphia 

SSG  Marshall  D.  Dent 
SFG  Kenneth  M.  Margotta 
SGT  Ray  A.  Toulson 


Raleigh 

SSG  Willie  H.  Ward 
SFC  James  Fisher,  Jr. 

Sacramento 

SFC  Alexander  Wilson 

San  Francisco 

SSG  Rona  M.  Sheppard 

Seattle 

SFG  Jesse  M.  Haddox 


Phoenix 

SSG  Douglas  S.  Burns 
SSG  John  C.  Marceau 
SFG  Patricia  A.  Wilcoxon 

Richmond 

SGT  Keith  D.  Abrahamsen 
SGT  George  G.  Holman 
SFC  Billie  J.  Nelson 

San  Francisco 

SFC  Richard  M.  Barnes 

Santa  Ana 

SSG  John  K.  D’ Amato,  Jr. 
SGT  Jerry  W.  Gilbert 
SFG  David  R.  Hoyt 
SGT  John  A.  Smith 
SSG  Wesley  S.  Willingham 

Seattle 

SFG  Gordon  L.  Gaseman 
SFG  Ignazio  A.  Gamuzzo,  Jr. 
SFG  Garvin  D.  Morlan 
SFC  Deborah  A.  Shearer 


Jacksonville 

MSG  Wayne  Donn 


Nashville 

SFC  L.E.  Revels,  Jr. 


Gold  Badges 


Columbus 

SFC  Gary  D.  Miller 


Little  Rock 

SSG  Larry  Day 


Nashville 

SSG  Carl  E.  Johnson 


28 


all  VOLUNTEER 


Davis  Cup  gives  Army 
woridwide  exposure 


Story  and  Photo  by  Bob  Lessels 
Cincinnati  DRC 

Both  the  United  States’  Davis  Cup 
Tennis  Team  and  the  United  States 
Army  emerged  as  winners  in  the  Davis 
Cup  Championship  Matches  held  in 
Cincinnati. 

Using  both  TAIR  and  non-TAIR 
resources;  the  Cincinnati  DRC  ensured 
the  Army  was  in  the  spotlight  [literally 
and  figuratively]  throughout  the  three- 
day  event. 

Jim  Supple,  Advertising  and  Sales 
Promotion  Chief  at  the  DRC  got  the 
tennis  ball  rolling  when  he  approached 
the  Davis  Cup  Match  organizing  com- 
mittee in  Cincinnati  with  the  offer  of 
an  Army  color  guard  for  the  opening 
day’s  ceremonies. 

“Sure,”  he  was  told  by  the  officials. 
“Could  you  also  provide  a band  to  play 
the  national  anthems  of  the  United 
States  and  Argentina,  as  well?” 

Using  TAIR  funds,  the  A&SP  sec- 
tion arranged  for  the  74th  Army  Band 
at  Ft.  Benjamin  Harrison  to  provide 
the  music;  then,  using  non-TAIR  re- 
sources, volunteers  were  solicited 
from  the  DRC  staff  and  field  recruit- 
ing force  to  form  a color  guard. 

As  this  was  shaping  up,  a second 
request  came  in,  this  one  from  the 
committee  organizing  the  parade  in 
Cincinnati.  Slated  for  the  day  before 
the  matches,  the  parade  was  to  wel- 
come the  tennis  stars  and  to  promote 
the  event  locally. 

Another  color  guard  was  organized 
using  DRC  resources,  and  a request 
went  out  to  several  nearby  Army  posts 
for  a band.  Ft.  Campbell  came  through 
this  time  with  the  101st  Airborne  Di- 
vision’s “Screaming  Eagle”  Band.  In 
addition,  to  spotlight  Army  Reserve 
programs  in  the  area,  a request  was 
made  to  the  local  377th  Military  Police 
Company  for  two  jeeps  to  lead  the 
parade.  The  unit  was  happy  to  comply. 


Finishing  touches  were  put  on  the 
plans,  with  excellent  support  coming 
from  the  DRC’s  operations  section  in 
scheduling  personnel  for  the  color 
guards  and  drivers  for  the  jeeps. 

Despite  a freezing  wind  and  snow 
flurries,  the  parade  route  was  lined 
with  more  than  25,000  viewers,  all  of 
whom  saw  the  Army  leading  some  of 
the  world’s  top  tennis  stars  on  a march 
through  downtown  Cincinnati. 

The  following  day  saw  the  start  of 
the  actual  competition  at  Riverfront 
Coliseum.  The  74th  Army  Band’s  mu- 
sicians provided  tennis  fans  with  a 
half-hour  concert  prior  to  the  start  of 
play. 

With  the  stadium  nearly  filled  and 
march  time  at  hand,  the  lights  in  the 
coliseum  were  dimmed.  A single  spot- 
light then  arched  across  the  auditorium 
to  fall  upon  a four-man  color  guard 
composed  of  SFC  Paul  Best,  staff 
sergeants  Don  Doyle  and  Walter  Brad- 
ford, and  SP5  Harry  Atwater.  March- 
ing forward  to  the  accompaniment  of 
a drum  beat,  the  color  guard  took  its 
position  at  center  court.  Behind  them 
stood  the  tennis  champions  of  both 
the  United  States  and  Argentina. 

As  the  color  guard  halted,  a second 


spotlight  illuminated  the  74th  Army 
Band.  The  announcer’s  voice  then 
broke  the  silence,  “Ladies  and  gentle- 
men, please  rise  for  the  national  an- 
thems of  the  United  States  and  Argen- 
tina   ” 

The  band  was  accompanied  in  the 
anthems  by  a vocalist  from  the  Cin- 
cinnati Opera  Company.  Despite  the 
fact  that  the  vocalist  and  the  band  had 
time  for  only  one  brief  rehearsal  to- 
gether, the  Army  musicians  demon- 
strated their  professionalism  by  ac- 
companying her  perfectly  throughout 
the  performance. 

At  least  25,000  people  saw  the  pa- 
rade from  the  curbside  and  thousands 
more  watched  from  the  windows  of 
the  office  buildings  lining  the  parade 
route.  In  the  coliseum,  10,000  fans 
saw  the  performance  live  while  mil- 
lions more  across  the  country  saw  the 
Army  band  and  color  guard  over  the 
Entertainment  Sports  Program  Net- 
work television  coverage  of  the  open- 
ing ceremonies  and  first  day’s  play. 
An  additional  audience  of  100  million 
or  more  viewers,  around  the  world 
saw  the  Army’s  role  in  the  champion- 
ships via  satellite  coverage  of  the 
event.  S' 


A color  guard  of  recruiters  followed  by  the  101st  Division’s  “Screaming  Eagle”  band 
guides  the  Davis  Cup  parade  through  downtown  Cincinnati. 


MARCH  1982 


29 


Story  and  Photo  by 
Sheila  Samples 
Ft  Sill  Cannoneer 

The  Pied  Piper  is  alive  and  ■well  and 
working  at  Ft.  Sill. 

At  18  PFC  Marta  Rodriguez,  who 
works  at  the  headquarters  of  the  212  th 
Field  Artillery  Brigade,  not  only 
knows  exactly  what  she  wants  out  of 
life,  but  she’s  got  the  lives  of  many  of 
her  contemporaries  in  her  hometown 
of  Haverstraw  NY  mapped  out  for 
them  also. 

While  home  on  leave,  Rodriguez 
recruited  17  eager  young  high  school 
seniors  in  one  day  and,  in  less  than 
one  week,  every  one  of  them  was 
signed  up,  tested  and  squared  away. 


‘‘He  told  me  it  takes  him  a month  to  sign  up  one 
person,  and  here  Td  signed  up  1 7 in  one  day.” 


When  this  all  started  she  was  still  in 
high  school  working  part-time  as  part 
of  a youth  opportunity  program. 

“I  wanted  to  be  someone:  to  do 
something  with  my  life,”  she  said,” 
but  I was  frustrated  with  my  working 
conditions  and  with  the  low  pay.  A lot 
of  kids  I know  from  my  hometown  go 
straight  to  New  York  City  after  grad- 
uation, but  the  only  things  I could  see 
the  city  had  to  offer  was  unemploy- 
ment and  trouble. 

She  recalled  the  day  an  Army  re- 
cruiter, SFC  Jose  Morales  visited  her 
senior  class. 

“He  opened  up  a whole  new  world 
to  me,”  Rodriguez  said.  “I  knew  from 
the  minute  he  began  talking  to  the 
class  that  he  was  talking  to  me.  He 
was  describing  a world  that  I wanted 
to  be  a part  of.  To  me  the  Army  wasn’t 
an  adventure  or  just  another  job,  it 
was  a career  that  offered  good,  solid 
benefits  and  an  opportunity  to  get  a 
better  education.” 


Others  who  had  been  in  the  Army 
tried  to  disillusion  her,  but  she  said 


30 


all  VOLUNTEER 


her  mind  was  made  up,  not  only  for 
herself  but  for  others  who  seemed  to 


If  you  tell  the  truth,  people 
will  want  to  be  a part  of 
the  Army” 


be  willing  to  settle  for  less.  “I  wanted 
everybody  to  have  the  same  opportu- 
nity I had,”  she  said,  “That’s  what  I 
like  about  the  Army.  If  you  want  it  to 
be  just  a job,  it  is,  but  if  you  want  it  to 
be  something  more,  you  can  make  it 
what  you  want  it  to  be.  If  you  can 
accept  responsibility,  the  people  you 
work  for  will  often  give  it  to  you.  If 
you  want  to  better  yourself,  get  an 
education  or  job  experience,  it  can 
help  you  do  that  through  AIT  and 
Army  tuition  assistance.” 

She  was  sold  on  the  Army  before 
she  served  her  first  day  of  active  duty. 
Basic  training  was  tough  but  it  failed 
to  dampen  her  spirits.  She  asked  to 
return  home  for  30  days  after  her 
training  so  she  could  serve  as  a re- 
cruiter’s aide.  When  that  didn’t  work 
out,  she  simply  took  13  days  leave  and 
headed  home  to  recruit  on  her  own 
time. 

Her  secret  to  recruiting,  she  said, 
was  to  tell  her  friends  everything, 
including  her  own  experiences  at  basic 
training  and  AIT  at  Ft.  Jackson. 

“I’ll  never  forget  the  tear  gas  cham- 
ber,” she  shuddered. 

This  occurs  when  trainees,  who 
have  just  learned  the  proper  method 
of  donning  a gas  mask,  are  taken  into 
a room  filled  with  tear  gas.  Once  in- 
side, they  are  ordered  to  remove  their 
masks  so  they  can  learn  first  hand  the 
effects  of  the  chemical  agent.  The 
burning  sensation  in  the  eyes  and 
lungs  is  not  pleasant. 


“That  was  the  most  horrible  experi- 
ence of  my  life.  Sometimes  I thought  I 
wasn’t  going  to  make  it,”  she  admitted. 
“After  it  was  over  though,  it  didn’t 
seem  so  bad.  Except  for  the  gas  cham- 
ber,” she  added  quickly. 

While  home  on  leave  she  went  with 
Morales  to  a Rockland  County  high 
school  and  when  she  was  through 
speaking,  16  boys  and  one  girl  were 
standing  in  line  to  sign  up.  Rodriguez 
says  she  set  up  the  individual  appoint- 
ments and  interviewed  each  one.  She 


“That’s  what  I like  about  the 
Army.  If  you  want  it  to  be  a 
job,  it  is,  if  you  want  it  to  be 
something  more,  you  can 
make  it  whatever  you  want 
it.” 


not  only  arranged  for  their  tests  and 
physical  examinations,  but  walked 
them  through  the  whole  process. 

Because  of  a continually  shrinking 
market  and  competition  from  the  other 
services,  recruiting,  even  at  its  best,  is 
difficult.  Seasoned  recruiters  battling 
those  ever  present  goals  must  wonder 
what  type  of  Pied  Piper  music  she 
played  to  those  high  school  students. 

“I  told  them  the  truth,”  Rodriquez 
stated,  “I  told  them  how  hard  basic 
was,  how  at  least  once  a day  I wanted 
to  give  up  and  I told  them  how  every 
night  I was  glad  I hadn’t.  I even  told 
them  about  the  gas  chamber. 

If  there  is  a secret  to  recruiting,”  she 
continued,  “I  think  it’s  answering  every 
question  that  an  applicant  asks.  A lot 
of  questions  may  seem  silly  to  a re- 
cruiter but  they’re  important  to  the 
guy  who’s  asking  them.” 

Rodriguez  said  since  most  high 


school  students  don’t  know  anything 
about  the  Army,  most  just  want  to  be 
reassured  that  they’re  not  making  a 
mistake. 

“They  want  to  know  what’s  hard 
about  the  Army,”  she  said.  Some  have 
the  idea  that  you’re  watched  all  the 
time,  that  you  can’t  even  go  out  on  a 
date.  It’s  important  they  know  they’ll 
retain  some  control  over  their  lives. 
Education  is  also  very  important.  If  a 
recruiter  says  they’ll  end  up  in  a cer- 
tain job  they  want  to  be  assured  they’ll 
end  up  in  that  job.” 

Rodriguez  feels  that  you  also  must 
reassure  parents,  many  of  whom  view 
the  Army  in  a negative  way. 

“There’s  a lot  I don’t  know,”  she 
said,  “ and  I made  sure  I told  them  that 
also,”  she  continued. 

Rodriguez  is  convinced  there  is  no 
need  for  recruiters  to  pad  the  truth 
about  the  Army.  “The  Army  is  good 
enough  to  stand  on  it’s  own  merits,” 
she  continued,  “If  you  tell  people  the 
truth.  I’m  convinced  people  will  want 
to  be  a part  of  the  Army.” 

After  a short  pause  Rodriguez  grinned 
and  said,  “At  first  SEC  Morales  was 
excited  about  what  I had  done.  Then 


“I  wanted  to  be  someone; 
to  do  something  with  my 
iife.  But  I was  frustrated 
with  working  conditions 
and  the  iow  pay.” 


he  got  a dejected  look  on  his  face  and 
told  me  that  it  sometimes  takes  him  a 
whole  month  to  sign  up  one  applicant 
and  I’d  signed  up  17  in  one  afternoon.” 
Rodriguez  hopes  someday  to  be  a 
full  fledged  Army  recruiter,  for  now 
however,  she’s  happy  with  herself, 
her  job  and  being  a part  of  the  Army .3? 


MARCH  1982 


31 


A barrier  to  freedom 

“/  will  never  forget  this  horrendous  insult  to 
humanity . . . Ifs  ingeniously  constructed  and  its 
only  purpose  is  to  kill.” 


Story  by  Celeste  Rubanick 
Schofield  Barracks  PAO 
Photos  by  LTC  William  Knapp 

It  is  836  miles  long  and  composed 
of  wire  mesh  fencing,  underground 
mines,  and  automatic-firing  machine 
guns.  It  employs  thousands  of  men 
and  dogs  as  guards  and  repairmen.  It 
kills  an  astoundingly  large  number  of 
people  each  year  and  makes  life  al- 
most unbearable  for  millions  of  others. 
“It”  is  the  Iron  Curtain. 

As  children,  teenagers,  and  finally 
adults  in  America,  we  enjoy  the  free- 
dom in  which  we  live.  In  fact,  many 
don’t  realize  what  freedom  is,  and 
more  complain  that  we  don’t  have 
enough.  I was  one  of  these  “typical” 
Americans.  Then  I had  some  experi- 
ences which  changed  my  life. 

Having  joined  the  Army  in  January 
1974  to  “do  something  different,”  I 
saw  many  different  people  and  living 
conditions  during  my  travels  in  the 
United  States.  Early  in  1977,  I was 
sent  to  West  Germany.  There,  while 
assigned  to  a unit  very  near  the  East- 
West  German  border,  at  the  well- 
known  Fulda  Gap,  I learned  what  real 
freedom  is. 


I was  assigned  to  a unit  that  sup- 
ported the  11th  Armored  Cavalry  Regi- 
ment {“The  Border  Guards”]  because 
women  were  not  then  allowed  to  be 
directly  assigned  to  combat  units. 
However,  that  was  strictly  paperwork. 
In  the  event  of  an  attack,  no  one 
would  stop  and  ask  all  the  females 
whether  or  not  they  were  assigned  to 
combat  units.  The  attack  would  go  on 
with  no  questions  asked.  Even  now, 
in  a time  of  peace,  tanks,  helicopters, 
armored  personnel  carriers  and  jeeps 
continuously  move  down  the  streets 
as  readiness  alerts  are  called  one  after 
the  other. 

The  Army  in  West  Germany  fre- 
quently conducts  guided  tours  to  the 
border  and  I signed  up  for  one  soon 
after  my  arrival.  Due  to  its  proximity 
to  the  border,  Fulda’s  military  com- 
munity sponsors  these  tours,  and  I 
was  soon  on  my  way  with  the  rest  of 
the  company. 

The  day  of  the  tour  was  cold,  windy, 
and  depressing,  but  our  spirits  were 
high  as  we  boarded  the  Army  bus  that 
morning.  Everyone  was  talking  cheei^ 
fully,  happy  to  have  a day  off  from 
work.  The  bus  quieted  down,  how- 


ever, as  we  reached  the  “One  Kilo- 
meter” sign.  This  sign  officially  in- 
forms you  that  you  are  within  one 
kilometer  (6/10  of  a mile)  of  the  border 
and  must  turn  back  unless  you  are  on 
official  business.  We  were.  The  bus 
crawled  forward. 

We  were  silent  for  the  90  seconds  it 
took  for  the  bus  to  reach  its  destina- 
tion and  stop.  Filing  quietly  out  the 
door  with  the  others,  I was  soon  stand- 
ing in  front  of  the  border  with  a tall 
East  German  watchtower  on  the  other 
side.  The  guard  inside  was  watching 
us  as  closely  as  we  were  watching 
him. 

I will  never  forget  the  shock  of 
actually  seeing  this  horrendous  insult 
to  humanity  for  the  first  time.  Time 
stopped  in  my  mind.  I can  clearly 
remember  thinking,  “I  have  learned 
what  freedom  is.”  There  is  no  way  I 
can  describe  how  I felt.  I can  only 
describe  what  I saw. 

The  new  wall,  it  was  “improved”  in 
1976,  begins  with  an  unmarked  bound- 
ary followed  by  50  yards  of  “No  Man’ s 
Land,”  an  unkempt,  weedy  field  cov- 
ered with  mines  strong  enough  to 
destroy  an  entire  human  body.  Then 
there  is  the  fence  itself. 

The  fence  is  ingeniously  constructed 
and  it  is  not  hard  to  believe  that  its 
only  purpose  is  to  kill.  The  wire  mesh 
fence  is  approximately  10  feet  tall, 
and  goes  three  feet  underground  to 
discourage  and  successfully  stop  es- 
capes by  tunneling.  Every  15  feet 
there  are  three  automatic-firing  ma- 
chine guns  at  knee,  hand,  and  chest 
level.  They  are  set  off  by  an  electronic 
eye.  There  are  anti-personnel  mines 
all  along  the  bottom  of  the  fence  in 
case  the  machine  guns  are  not  suc- 
cessful. 

Concrete  towers  with  heavily  armed 
guards  loom  up  out  of  the  ground 
about  every  three  hundred  yards.  Be- 
cause the  East  German  guards,  who 


The  sign  is  more  than  just  a reminder  that  you  are  entering  another  country.  It’s  a 
warning  of  another  ideology  which  exercises  total  control. 


all  VOLUNTEER 


Even  in  time  of  peace  there  are  people  who  will  die  trying  to  be  free.  This  memorial 
honors  a man  from  East  Germany  who  was  not  afraid  to  try. 


are  drafted  for  two  years  of  this  ser- 
vice, do  not  even  trust  each  other, 
there  are  always  at  least  two  guards 
present  so  that  one  guard  can  watch 
the  other  guard  who  watches  the  area. 

On  the  East  German  side  of  the 
fence,  there  are  also  attack  dogs  leashed 
to  wire  runs.  Another  fifty  yards  of 
minefield  followed  by  a nine  foot  deep 
concrete  anti-tank  ditch  to  keep  ve- 
hicles from  bursting  through.  From 
there  to  the  paved  East  German  border 
patrol  road  is  an  empty  track  of  sand, 
which  is  plowed  several  times  each 
day  to  reveal  any  footprints. 

Nearby,  on  the  West  German  side 
of  the  fence,  there  were  flowers  and  a 
stone  marker.  Our  guide  explained 
that  these  were  put  there  by  West 
Germans  in  honor  of  a father  and  son 
who  tried  to  escape  from  East  Germany 
on  Christmas  Eve  a few  years  earlier. 
The  father  was  killed  when  he  stepped 
on  a mine  and  the  son  was  dragged 
back  alive  by  the  East  Germans.  The 
West  Germans  still  replace  the  flowers 
each  Christmas. 

We  boarded  the  bus  again  and  rode 
along  the  border  for  a few  miles, 
amazed  at  the  fact  that  a number  of 
refugees  still  make  it  over  the  wall 
each  year. 

In  Fulda  the  next  day,  I immediately 
began  preparations  to  visit  Berlin.  I 
had  to  see  how  people  survived  living 
in  a divided  city. 

In  early  August,  I left  Frankfurt  for 
West  Berlin  aboard  the  Army’s  free 
“ duty  train”  at  8 p.  m.  because  the  East 
Germans  require  that  the  train  must 
travel  through  East  Germany  in  dark- 
ness. 

The  110  mile  ride  through  East  Gei> 
many,  passing  boarded  up  stations 
and  getting  stopped  for  long  periods 
of  time  by  East  German  and  Russian 
Police,  has  never  been  duplicated  by 
even  the  most  thrilling  spy  movie. 
West  Berlin  was  a very  welcome  sight 


at  7 a.m.  I learned  the  subway  system 
quickly  and  was  soon  exploring  the 
wall  from  every  available  angle. 

This  wall  is  also  “new  and  im- 
proved.” Once  concrete  blocks  and 
barbed  wire,  it  is  now  a well-con- 
structed 12  foot  concrete  wall  with 
row  after  row  of  mines  and  crossed 
spear  type  obstacles  on  the  East  Berlin 
side.  Guards  are  everywhere  you  look. 
The  subway  goes  through  East  Berlin 
at  some  points  but  does  not  stop.  At  a 
once  famous  Berlin  intersection,  Pots- 
dammer  Platz,  the  only  sign  of  life 
was  a cottontail  rabbit  cautiously 
picking  his  way  through  the  obstacles. 

Still,  more  than  500  people  per  year 
escape. 

As  lovely  a city  as  West  Berlin  is,  it 
is  terribly  depressing.  West  Berliners 
talk  and  even  joke  about  the  wall,  but 
there  are  the  ever-present  reminders 


of  war  and  hatred:  windows  facing 
the  wall  are  bricked  up,  bombed  out 
buildings  still  stand,  and  the  Branden- 
burg Gate  opens  out  to  a dark  and 
shabby  East  Berlin.  The  Russians  have 
their  own  war  memorial  in  West  Berlin 
with  Russian  soldiers  as  guards.  As  a 
result  of  one  guard  being  shot  and 
killed  recently,  there  are  also  British 
soldiers  present  to  guard  them.  Walls 
have  been  erected  between  the  nearby 
park  and  the  memorial  so  that  no  one 
can  fire  a gun  from  the  far  end  of  the 
park  and  then  escape. 

I was  stationed  along  the  border  for 
eight  months.  I will  never  forget  what 
I learned  and  saw  while  there.  I wish 
that  everyone  in  this  country  could 
see  the  things  I did.  If  you  could  feel 
just  half  of  the  horror  that  I felt,  you 
would  understand  when  I say  America 
is  the  Land  of  the  Free.  S' 


MARGH  1982 


33 


Aids  from 

SP5  Darrell  Cochran 
Support  Center 

Army  recruiters  obtain  leads  in  a 
variety  of  ways.  They  spend  hours  on 
the  telephone,  visit  high  schools  and 
homes,  and  tell  the  Army  story  to 
prospects  in  recruiting  stations. 

It  would  be  difficult  if  not  impossible 
for  any  recruiter  to  get  all  his  leads  on 
his  own— sometimes  he  needs  help. 

Some  of  that  help  is  available  from  the 
Recruiting  Support  Center  located  at 
Cameron  Station,  VA,  which  tours  16 
exhibits  designed  to  give  recruiters  an 
added  boost  in  their  communities. 

These  exhibits,  in  the  form  of  eight 
expandable  theater  vans,  six  cinema 
“pods”  for  indoor  shows,  and  two 
walkaround  exhibits,  are  on  the  road 
up  to  11  months  of  each  year  with  i 

their  teams  providing  support  to  local  i 

recruiters  throughout  the  five  recrui- 
ting regions. 

The  vans  and  pods  are  equipped 
with  10-to  14-minute  multi-image  slide 
presentations  produced  at  the  Support  j 
Center  and  designed  to  tell  young  j 
people  and  those  who  influence  them  | 
an  across-the-board  story  of  what  an  | 

Army  career  has  to  offer.  The  two 
walkaround  displays  are  topically 
more  specific,  illustrating  Army  basic 
training  and  leadership  training  pro- 
grams. The  exhibits  are  manned  by  I 
two- or  three- member  teams  of  exhibit 
specialists. 

The  team  members  come  from  all 
walks  of  Army  life  to  spend  a mini- 
mum of  two  years  with  the  exhibit 
teams.  Their  former  jobs  are  as  diverse  | 
as  the  Army’s  MOS  inventory.  ! 

Specialist  5 Jeanne  Butler,  who  ! 
travels  with  Cinema  Van  No.  4,  was  a 
personnel  specialist  assigned  to  the  , 
Center’s  operations  office  when  she  : 
applied  and  was  accepted  to  the  team. 

The  job  appealed  to  her  because,  “I 
wanted  to  see  more  of  the  country  and  ^ 
meet  people.  I feel  I have  something 
positive  to  add  to  the  recruiting  effort, 
because  the  Army  has  been  good  to  me 


34 


all  VOLUNTEER 


the  Support  Center 


and  I want  to  tell  others  that  it  could  be 
good  to  them,  too.” 

After  more  than  a year  with  the 
team,  Butler  says  she  sometimes  misses 
the  stability  of  a 9-5  desk  job,  “But  I 
wouldn’t  have  missed  the  experiences 
I’ve  had,”  she  concluded. 

No  stranger  to  long  hours  on  the 
road,  SP4  Trent  Reese  was  a driver 
(64C]  assigned  to  the  White  House 
motor  pool  until  his  selection  to  the 
team  last  June.  “So  far  this  job  has 
been  everything  I pictured  it  to  be,”  he 
said.  “I  like  being  able  to  travel  to 
different  parts  of  the  country,  and  I 
like  being  able  to  tell  the  kids  that  the 
Army  has  the  place  for  them  no  matter 
what  their  career  interests  may  be.” 

Obviously,  the  exhibit  teams  don’t 
drive  up  and  down  the  roads  asking 
for  permission  to  set  up  and  show; 
exhibit  visits  require  a lot  of  coordi- 
nation between  the  Support  Center’s 
Operations  Division,  the  recruiter,  and 
his  chain  of  command. 

At  the  beginning  of  each  fiscal  year, 
the  Operations  Division  distributes  to 
the  regions  a year-long  schedule  for 
the  16  exhibits.  The  RRCs  pass  this 


information  to  the  DRCs,  who  pass  it 
to  area  commanders,  who  task  the 
local  recruiters  with  location,  scout- 
ing, and  confirmation  of  potential  sites. 

Once  the  sites  are  confirmed,  the 
recruiters  pass  their  dates  and  loca- 
tions back  up  the  chain  to  the  Center, 
and  the  exhibit  teams  are  notified  of 
their  respective  schedules. 

Upon  arriving  in  each  area,  the 
team  chief  contacts  the  project  officer 
for  each  site  to  reconfirm  the  show 
and  set  up  arrival  times  and  show 
hours. 

When  the  van,  pod,  or  static  display 
arrives  at  the  show  site,  the  recruiter 
or  someone  designated  by  him  meets 
the  team,  introduces  them  to  site  of- 
ficials, and  coordinates  viewings 
throughout  the  day. 

Once  the  exhibit  is  set  up  and  ready, 
a team  member  introduces  the  show. 
After  the  slide  show  has  been  pre- 
sented, the  recruiter  answers  questions 
while  the  team  assists  viewers  in  fil- 
ling out  REACT  cards. 

It  is  from  these  completed  REACT 
cards  that  the  recruiter  compiles  part 
of  his  list  of  prospects.  A copy  of  each 


card  is  also  forwarded  through  the 
Support  Center  to  the  REACT  proces- 
sing center  in  California,  which  pro- 
vides literature  to  young  people  17-25 , 
“target-age”  prospects. 

The  touring  exhibit  program  has 
been  proven  to  be  an  effective  means 
of  generating  leads  for  recruiters.  Last 
year  more  than  two  and  one-half  mil- 
lion persons  viewed  the  Center’s  ex- 
hibits, resulting  in  62,000  leads  — 
44,000  of  them  target-age. 

To  get  leads,  the  exhibit  teams  spent 
more  than  4,400  days  on  tour.  They 
visited  1,100  high  schools  and  more 
than  400  other  exhibit  sites. 

Recruiters  are  aware  of  the  support 
they  get  from  the  exhibit  teams  and 
they  appreciate  it. 

Sergeant  Ricarto  Hernandez,  a re- 
cruiter in  El  Paso,  said  “When  an 
exhibit  visits  a high  school  in  my  area, 
it  provides  me  with  something  more 
than  just  telling  the  students  what  the 
Army  offers— it  lets  me  show  them 
what  they  could  get.  Young  people 
tend  to  be  skeptical  of  words,  but  the 
exhibits  provide  visual  proof  that  I’m 
giving  them  the  facts.”  S' 


Recruiters  gain  credibiiity  using  the  mobile  exhibits.  This  recruiter  explains  where  he  wants  the  van  set  up. 


35 


IIS  nnVF.RNMF.NT  PRINTINC  OFFICE  554/032/6 


I flareI 


SSG  Bruce  D.  Sharp 
WRRC  Recruiter  of  the  year 


SSG  Burchell  D.  Napier 
MWRRC  Recruiter  of  the  year 


SFC  Raymond  S.  Bonner 
SWRRC  Recruiter  of  the  year 


SFC  Herman  Dean 
SERRC  Recruiter  of  the  year 


SSG  Rona  M.  Sheppard 
USAREC  Nurse  Recruiter  of  the  year 


SP5  Karen  Ridge 
USAREC  Soldier  of  the  year